Life and Its Not So Little Surprises
by Psyche102
Summary: Life is full of unexpected surprises. Trust me I know. I found out that my dad was best buds with alien robots, my boyfriend is an ex-Decepticon, most of the mechs at the base like cats, and my necklace is more than just a necklace. Life IS unpredictable.
1. I Hate Mondays

I so hope you love this story, it's better than it sounds in the first chapter, I promise.

* * *

_Prologue_

_Sam Witwicky looked up at the hospital room where his wife, Mikaela Witwicky, was playing with their six-year old daughter, Nicole. She was so happy and oblivious to the chaos and diseases in the world, some much like hers._

_Sam was in the darkest corner of the parking lot with his guardian, Bumblebee, and the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. He felt the weight of the shard of Allspark in his pocket. The cause of this meeting and the one possible solution to his daughter's lung cancer._

_A month before, a few weeks after Nicole's birthday, she started becoming breathless quickly and started complaining of chest pain. A week after, she started having coughing fits. They thought it was a really bad cold. Only when she started coughing up blood did they take her to the hospital. She was diagnosed with lung cancer._

_It had ripped them apart to see their little girl in pain._

_Sam took out the shard. Ratchet, the Chief Medical Officer, had declared it safe to the touch. Sam had wrapped a wire around the shard to secure it and had strung cube-shaped beads on it. The result was a necklace._

_He had had a hunch that it might work. All the Autobots thought it might work. _

_He looked at Bumblebee and Optimus. "Do you really think it will work?" he asked softly. _

_They both nodded. "But it's your choice, Sam." said Optimus. Sam looked at the hospital window._

_He'd do anything for her._

_Sam walked towards the front doors._

* * *

_Sam knocked on the door softly and passed a nurse on the way in. He walked to the only bed in the room._

_Mikaela was singing softly to Nicole, who was bundled up in her favorite-colored yellow blankets almost asleep._

_Mikaela looked up and smiled. She frowned when she saw the necklace. 'Are you ready for this?' Sam mouthed to her._

_She paused, then nodded._

_Sam knelt down and tried to put the necklace around Nicole's neck without waking her. But the disturbance caused her to open her eyes. "Hi, Daddy."_

_Sam smiled. "Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" Nicole shrugged."Ok, I guess- " She cut off as she went in to a coughing fit. She brought her hand away from her mouth and saw the little droplets of blood on the skin._

_Nicole looked at both her parents. "Mama, Daddy, am I dying?"_

_At first there was silence, but then Mikaela choked out a sob and walked to the window, crying. Sam felt a few tears slide down his face, but wiped them away quickly._

_Fearing she said something wrong, Nicole's eyes started to tear up. " The big metal people said that this was the beginning of the long road to my des- destim-"_

_"Destiny." Sam whispered. Nicole nodded. "And they said not to worry 'cause it wasn't my time."_

_When Sam had met the Dynasty of the Primes, he only told Mikaela, Bumblebee, and Optimus. Wondering if Mikaela was thinking the same thing, he looked up. _

_Mikaela had came back to the bed and was staring at her daughter in a look of awe. She slowly turned her head towards Sam, with tears still in her eyes._

_Sam felt a tugging at his shirt and looked down to see that his daughter had a hold of his shirt. "What's wrong, Daddy?"_

_Sam cleared his throat. "Oh, um, nothing. But hey, look what I got you." He put the shard necklace in her small hands. She looked over it and fingered the shard dangling from the wire. "This looks like the peice of metal from my dream..." she said with a faraway look in her eyes, then she went into a coughing fit._

_When she stopped, she was breathing heavily and her hands were shaking as she tried to put the necklace on. Giving up, she held the neckalce out. "Can you please put it on me?" _

_Without a word, Mikaela lifted Nicole's head and Sam placed the necklace around her neck. When they were done, the shard sat nestled in the hollow of her neck._

_Nicole looked at Sam and before she closed her eyes, he thought he saw a flash of bright blue. "I love you, Momma. I love you, Daddy." _

_"We love you, too, sweetheart." Mikaela whispered. Soon enough, Nicole was sleeping peacefully._

_In the morning, the cancer was gone._

* * *

10 years later...

Nicole POV

Fire...Shouting...Sirens...Roars...Blasts... Suddenly I was bathed in blood red light from two menacing eyes from above. Suddenly, a metal looking arm reached out.

Then I was sitting up in bed, a scream dying in my throat. Actually, the word bed is too holy for my mattress with sheets. Looking around, I calmed myself down by studying every detail of the attic. From the cardboard boxes full of my clothes, to my stacks of books, and finally, to my shoulder bag I used for a backpack.

Out of habit, I reached up to my necklace and started rubbing the metal shard for comfort. Maybe today wouldn't be such a bad day.

God, who am I kidding? Today was gonna be horrible. It was freaking Monday.

I looked over at the little thirty-dollar GoPhone I had bought myself from Wal-Mart and checked the time. 7:30. _Crap. I'll be late if I dont hurry._

I rolled off the mattress and on to my hands and knees on the floor. As it turns out, I rolled right over my fat, white and gray, adopted-stray cat, Spice. She mewed at me grumpily and pawed at my arm, leaving three red scratch marks. "Good morning to you, too," I sighed. And people wondered why I called her Spice.

I got up and walked over to my clothes boxes. After thinking for a few moments, I picked out a yellow tank top and some jean shorts to go with a black jacket and my black tennis shoes.

Shutting the box, I walked over to the shoulder bag and hoisted it up on my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Spice get up off the mattress. "Don't let Phil catch you!" I warned her.

Who is Phil you might ask? He's my foster dad. And you might ask again, 'Where's your parents?'. Well, if you asked me in real life, I'd punch you in the face and say 'None of your business', and call you a few names. This gets me in trouble at school. A lot.

But since this is the story of how my life changed, I'll let it pass. Be glad I did... Anyway, I won't sugarcoat it.

My parents, Sam and Mikaela Witwicky, are dead.

Eight years ago, when I was, well, eight, there was a gas explosion in my parent's two story house. Every thing burned to the ground, and everything we owned was gone. Well, except my dad's yellow and black-striped Camaro. The Camaro just disappeared the night of the fire. My parents died saving me, and while they lost their lives, I escaped without a scratch. Or, at least, that's what a witness said happened. I didn't remember any of it. It's what doctor's call a 'Traumatic Experience'. And you know what, I never did learn where that guy came from. He said his name was Orion Pax, or something like that. Huh.

Anyway, alot of the time I feel guilty about their deaths, then I get mad at them for leaving me and usually throw or hit something.

Man, I really hate talking about personal stuff. _Hate_ it.

I walked down attic stairs, careful to be quiet in case Phil was awake. I wanted to take his old faded blue Chevy truck to school. I was 16, after all, and had my license(amazingly, I had passed, even after calling the woman in the car with me a few names; it's not my fault I pressed the brakes too quickly and slammed her head on the dashboard).

Soon I was down the hall, peeking around the corner, into the living room. Apparently, he was drunk, because there was beer cans everywhere and his thinning gray hair was everywhere as his head was laying on the arm of the chair. Perfect.

I walked to the other end of the hall to my bathroom and set my clothes and bag on the double sink. With the shower running, I started to undress.

I was reluctant to take my necklace off because everytime I took it off it feltas though I had lung cancer or some other illness again. You see, when I was five, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. As a gift, my parents had given me the necklace. Then, all of a sudden, poof. The cancer's gone. At the time, my little six-year-old brain had suspected nothing. But I grew suspicious as I got older, because they did never tell me what the shard was made of.

Ever since the cancer, I have never gotten sick. Not even chicken pox had been sent to me by the Great Almighty. The only times I felt sick was when I had to take it off, like taking a shower. But I never went swimming. I had never been taught to swim.

I had always assumed it had to do with a connection to my parents. Boy, was I wrong.

Just as I finished drying off, the first wave of coughing hit me. Out of experience, I reached for my necklace and put it on, looking in the mirror. As soon as my hands left the necklace, a feeling of calm came over me and for a second I thought I saw my golden hazel eyes flash bright blue.

Muttering about sniffing up to much of Spice's hair affecting my brain, I finished dressing. I brushed through my slightly curly black hair and pulled it back in a black clip.

I grabbed my shoes and quietly slipped them on. Grabbing my shoulder bag, I walked down the hall and tried to quietly to sneak across the living room.

No matter how hard I tried, I always seem to get caught.

Phil opened one of his bloodshot eyes. "Dont take my truck," He mumbled, closing his eye.

I threw my hands up in the air. "I'll be late for school again!"

"Well, too bad. Not my problem any way."

I growled in frustration, but marched out the door anyway.

I set off at a brisk walk down the weed-ridden sidewalk. You see, I don't live in a high-dollar neighbor hood. In this neighborhood, there was chain link fences and at night, you would probably get mugged by a drunk idiot. I speak from experience(the guy ended up with a bad bump on his head; I had just happened to grab a big chunk of brick and smack him over the head with it).

I checked my phone again and saw that I had 5 to 8 minutes before school started. "Dammit!" I snapped aloud and then set off at a run. I could've run for hours, which was why the Track coach had asked me to join. But I wasn't really sociable, so I refused.

The only friend I had was a country blonde named Taylor. At first I had tried to scare her off by threatening her, and then flat out ignored her. After two really long weeks of being stalked, I asked her what she saw in me that made her want to be friends. All she said was that she saw the good in me. I had snorted and asked, "What good?"

I started to cross a deserted road when my hair came out of the clip. The clip bounced to the ground and my hair spilled around me. I cursed and ran back to the middle of the road to get the clip.

Only then did I hear the engine of the police car barreling toward me. I knew that I didn't have time to jump out of the way, so I waited for the sweet reunion with my parents.

I think I shut my eyes, because all I remember was feeling the impact of the car, a searing pain, and then...blackness.

So much for looking both ways before crossing the road.

* * *

So...review! It gets better! I promise!


	2. BeepBeepBEEP

remember, ill read your stories if you ask me to. give the title. review!

* * *

Nicole POV

I was having the nightmare again.

I saw my parents through the thick smoke. We were on the second story of our house. When I touched the wood floors I could feel the heat of the fire through the wood.

Suddenly, a section of the wall ripped away and my parents pulled me back to keep me from falling over. I heard shouting, but it wasn't coming from my parents.

Then the two bloodred eyes appeared out of the smoke. A metallic looking arm reached forward... I screamed...

And then I was awake.

When I first opened my eyes, I saw a bright light. My first thoughts were,'So this is the Light? Man, this is disappointing.'

Then I heard a beeping and felt something on my hand. I tried to move and see what it was,but i couldn't move. At all. It wasnt like anything was restraining me. I just couldn't move.

This...was bad.

I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the light and concentrate on the things around me.

There was something light covering me...another beep...it was bright...another beep...it smelled clean...another beep...it was cold...another beep...

Finally I couldnt take it any more.

"COULD SOMEONE TURN OFF THAT GOD DAMN BEEPING!" I yelled, although it was a hoarse shout. I felt a pain in my throat and just realized how thirsty I was.

Wait... Could you feel pain in heaven? Unless im in hell. But im pretty sure that hell is a lot dirtier and less...clean.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of scurrying feet and I heard murmurs. I opened my eyes a smidge to see that the light was off. With all my strength I raised my head to see a pudgy woman with curly gray hair in crisp white scrubs.

"I see your finally awake." She said in a shocked tone staring at me. "We didn't think you would survive." She must've saw the question mark on my face, 'cause she shook her head and started checking the monitors beside the bed.

"I'm in a hospital?" She nodded. So was I supposed to feel glad? I felt ...more disappointed than glad.

"Sure are,hon, and you..."she paused. "Do you remember anything? Oh, and by the way my name is Darla."

I thought back. I was on my way to school... My clip fell out...I ran back to get it... The police cruiser hit me... I shuddered. I remembered the pain. Looking at Darla, I nodded. "But how did I survive?"

She hit a button on the side of the bed and my back started to lift up in a sitting position. "Well, it's really all a miracle. The good Lord must've been watchin' out for ya that day. The young man that hit you was driving fast enough to have killed you. But when he brought you in here, you had a broken arm and leg, several cuts and bruises, and was unconscious, but you was still breathin'."

I looked towards where my arms and legs would have been, had they not been covered by blankets. "Umm, Darla, could you...?" I nodded towards the blankets and she hurried to uncover me.

I was in a sky blue hospital gown and my right arm was covered in neon yellow casting, as was my left leg. Putting the covers down, Darla asked,"Can you not move at all dear?"

I shook my head. "Umm, who's gonna pay the medical bills?"

Darla looked at me sympathetically. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry, but your foster parent, Phil Darfin, came here and dropped all your stuff here, saying that you weren't his responsibility anymore." She moved aside, showing me the few boxes of possessions I had sitting in a chair in the corner.

I felt a few tears come to my eyes, but I forced them down. I hadn't cried since the day my parents died. I sure wasn't gonna start now.

Sure, I had hated life with Phil, but now I had nowhere to go. Holding my head up high, I looked her square in the eye. "So, who's taking me in now?" Darla shrugged.

I took a deep breath, then closed my eyes, wishing that I could reach up and rub the shard. Almost immediately my eyes flew open. "Is my necklace on my neck still?"

Darla nodded looking at my neck. "Yeah. I like it,too. Spunky. My kind of style."

I smiled at her. "Your cool. Kinda like a grandma who rides motorcycles." Seeing her smile, I smiled even bigger. "You have one don't you?"

"I don't just have one, hon, I have_ two_. "

* * *

A few hours later...

I had finally regained feeling after two whole hours. When I had, Darla decided to change the cast. She said it needed change after three days. I had been out for a total of five days.

During the changing, Darla had proved that she was even cooler than I thought.

She had had a X-ray test done while the cast was off. When she got the results, she said a long string of cuss words that even I didnt have the guts to say(in public at least).

When I asked her what was wrong, she just stared at me and said,"Your bones are fully healed. You don't need casts."

* * *

Then a few days after the swearing episode, curiosity got the better of me.

"Darla, who was the guy who hit me then brought me in?"

She froze in midstep, then hurried over to the nightstand beside the bed. "Silly me. I forgot. He left his number so you could call him. And I do suggest that you call him. He is a very handsome young man." She said wagging her eyebrows as she shoved a phone and piece of paper in my hands.

She walked out of the room as I stared at the paper. Debating on whether to call him or not, I looked at the paper to the phone and back.

While I was off in Debate Land, I absently dialed the number and put the phone to my ear. Only when a deep voice answer did I come out of it. "Hello?" A pause. "Is anyone-" I didn't hear because I slammed the phone down on the cradle so fast that I popped my arm.

I sat staring at the phone for a minute, as if it would would jump up and bite me. Shivering, I reached for the glass of water that I was given.

All of a sudden, in mid-gulp, the phone rang and it scared me so that I jumped and water ended up coming up my nose. Choking and sputtering, I reached for the phone and answered it?

"Hello?" I said wiping the water off my face.

"Did you just call me?" said a deep voice on the other end.

"Umm...yes?" I squeaked, unsure what to say.

"You see...Im the girl you hit with the police cruiser. You left a number for me to call sooooo...I called it."

The guy on the other end paused. "Im coming to see you." Then I heard a click on the other end.

Ten mintues later, sure enough the curtains around my bed moved. A guy who looked a few years older than me with black hair that was slightly messy and dark brown eyes came in. He had on a black leather jacket and faded jeans. He came and sat on one of the chairs beside the bed. When he came closer I thought I saw that his eyes were flecked with red specks, but dismissed it as my imagination.

I cleared my throat. "So if you want to send me the bill for car repair, I should be able to pay it off. But itll be in like a year."

The guy shook his head. "My car wasn't damaged."

I tilted my head a little. "Weren't you driving a police cruiser? 'Cause you don't look like an officer. You look more like a dude who runs a gang."

He laughed. "Yeah, I just started the force as a part time job. I'm off duty right now. And by the way, my name's Cade." **(Sorry, I just don't like the name Barry. It was more sensible, but 'Cade' is way better.)**

I smiled. "Well, Cade, my name is Nicole Witwicky."

* * *

Sorry it's so short. And boring.

**NEXT CHAPTER**: Four years after hitting her, Cade and Nicole are going out and Nicole is working at a bar since she's twenty. All of a sudden, Cade tells Nicole to pack up because they're leaving.

The next chapter will be more exciting.


	3. I Jump Out Of Cade's Car

Weellll im soooooooo sooooo soooooo sorry! I have not updated in like forever, but I hope this satisfys you! I was writing it on my laptop, and it was **20 pages**! 20! And on here, its **9,151**** words**! unbelievable!

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Chapter 3: I Jump Out of Cade's Car

Nicole POV

I said my final goodbye to my coworkers and walked out the front door's of Danny's Bar. It was raining as I hurried across the parking lot to the payphone on the corner to call a cab.

But I didn't make it all the way across, because I heard a honking. I turned to see a black and silver-striped Mustang GT. My boyfriend's to be exact.

I smiled a confused smile, but ran across the road and opened the door to warm AC. I closed the door and leaned across to kiss my boyfriend, Cade.

Four years ago, Cade hit me with his police cruiser and after that, we started dating behind my new foster parents backs. Cade, me, and my friend, Taylor, moved a few hours away from Tranquility after me and Taylor turned nineteen. Taylor and I got jobs at Danny's Bar and Cade got a job as an undercover cop. We all lived in a two bedroom apartment and shared the rent.

Now I know what your thinking. 'How does my best friend end up coming along on our escapade?' Well, Taylor got fired from her job in Tranquility around the time that Cade and I decided to leave Tranquility. Cade and Taylor acted like brother and sister, so we said 'What the heck? Why not just bring you with us and live together?'

So we left Tranquility, leaving bad memories behind to start new ones. And life has been awesome since then. Who new that freedom could be this….this…..enjoyable?

When I pulled back from the kiss, I looked into Cade's dark brown eyes. They seemed tense. I leaned back in my seat and frowned. "Hey, babe. I knew that you were picking me up since we have a date tonight, but I thought you would pick me up after your shift at the apartment."

Cade had pulled out of the parking lot and only then did I notice that his black hair was spiky from the rain.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, with a humorous, yet still tense glint in his eyes. "I thought you would be glad I saved you from a cold out in this rain."

I smacked his arm. "You know what I mean." I said, playfully. "But, still, answer the question."

"That wasn't a question."

"Enough cheek from you."

He laughed, but turned serious. "Listen, we'll have to go somewhere else for a while, OK? We'll have to hide-" he stopped. "I mean, we'll go on a road trip, just you and me."

I looked in the back seat, seeing almost all our belongings in the back. I saw that there was two thing's missing.

"Cade, you can't just spring this on me. I mean, where is Taylor? Or Spice?" Yes, I had brought my cat with me.

He kept his eyes on the road, but had a pained look on his face. "Please, don't make this any harder, Nicole."

I was starting to get scared, which is bad. I don't get scared often, unless I know something really bad is going to happen.

"Cade, if something bad has happened, you need to tell me. Like, now, before I have a panic attack and jump out of the car."

He looked at me with a panicked look, and all of a sudden the little push-in locks locked themselves.

I grabbed the lock but it wouldn't come out. 'Great,' I thought, 'now I'm locked in.' I looked out the windows to see that we were on the interstate, headed North.

I turned back to Cade. "Cade, you are seriously freaking me out now. Please, just tell me." I said in a pleading voice.

He sighed, but started to pull over to the side.

When he stopped, he leaned forward and banged his head on the steering wheel. I think I heard him mutter '…the things I do for a fleshie…'.

Then he leaned back and rubbed his face. His hands dropped, and he stared out the windshield at nothing in particular.

All of a sudden he turned to me and wrapped his arms around me and kissed me.

I was shocked, but he was so sweet and warm, with a little tinge of….diesel? I kissed him back, and for a moment, I forgot all about everything. My troubled past, Taylor, the weird way Cade was acting, heck, I even forgot about Spice. Everything was gone, it was just him and me. I felt safe in his arms, and that was all that mattered.

Then as sudden as he started it, he ended the kiss.

Cade leaned back, and stared into my eyes with love and…sadness?

Still floating around from the kiss, I giggled in a girly way. Somewhere in the back of mind, I asked myself, 'Did you just giggle like a girl who just had her first kiss?' Thinking that Taylor would be laughing her ass off, I shoved my conscious deeper into my brain.

I cleared my throat, then smiled. "What did I do to deserve that?"

Cade just smiled a small smile and held my hand in both of his. An alarm popped in my head, saying things about rings and white wedding dresses. My heart skipped a beat and a million thoughts hit me. Churches, bells, honeymoons-

"Nicole, do you trust me?"

At first, I just stared at him. Why was I disappointed?

Sure, I hadn't ever met Cade's parents, or even heard him mention them. But I still trusted him. With my life. Wholly and completely. I was convinced that Cade was my soul mate.

So what did I say? "Absolutely."

Cade looked relieved. "Then you have to trust me now. There are two different groups of….people, who want to take you away from me. Both sides have different reasons, but all the same, they will take you away from me. I love you, Nicole, and it would break my spar- I mean, heart if I lost you. They've found out that I've been seeing you. Now they're coming after us, and the only solution is to run and hide. Do you understand?"

I just sat there staring at him numbly. So many emotions went through me. Fear of being taken from Cade. Confusion as to why people would care if I saw Cade. Anger to the fact that someone was ruining our almost-perfect little life. But I nodded anyway without a word.

Cade smiled a little. Then he hugged me tight, and I felt tears well up in my eyes. Refusing to let even one spill out, I swallowed and they disappeared.

Before I knew it, Cade had restarted the car and we were driving again.

I leaned back into my seat as a thought occurred to me. "But what does it matter if I see you?"

Cade had a sad look in his eyes. "It doesn't matter that you see me. " he said, softly. "It's you that matters so much."

I nodded slowly. Then I sighed. "I going to take a nap." I mumbled.

I closed my eyes, and I was faintly aware of the seat going back into a laying position. I curled up in the seat, tired and worried.

Soon I was drifting out of consciousness. I felt a hand stroke my head, and I was reminded of my parents when they put me to bed.

"I love you, Nicole." I heard Cade whisper.

"I love you, too, Cade…" I mumbled, finally letting sleep claim me.

* * *

I looked around and saw furniture and wooden floors. Looking around some more, I saw my parents.

The air smelled smoky and heavy. The walls had an orangish hue to it. Suddenly I realized where I was.

I was in my old two story house that I used to live in. I was having the nightmare again.

I hadn't had the nightmare in years. In fact, I hadn't had it since I met Cade. (another reason he's the perfect man for me.)

I started breathing hard knowing what would come next.

All of a sudden, the wall closest to us ripped away. My parents pulled me back in a frantic attempt to keep me from falling over the edge to the concrete driveway.

I heard shouting, but like every time, it wasn't coming from my parents. Suddenly, I heard a growling sound and two blood-red eyes appeared in the smoke. But something was different. I felt like the eyes were familiar.

Then a black metal arm reached towards me. I screamed….

And everything went black.

It stayed black for what felt like hours. Then I heard voices. The voices sounded distant, but familiar.

And all of a sudden, it was like someone had flipped a switch and the lights came back on.

I was laying on my back. Turning my head, I saw that the walls were gray. They looked almost like metal.

Next I noticed the symbols. They were weird symbols. Some of them looked almost Chinese and some looked like random scribbles. And the weirdest thing was that they were moving.

Running my hand along the floor, I realized the floor was covered in the same moving symbols. And I was right about it being metal.

When I looked at the ceiling, it was pretty much the same. Next I realized the light was coming from one glowing orb floating in the middle of the ceiling. It was illuminating the whole room.

"Looks like Sleepin' Beauty is finally 'wake."

I jumped and looked around. I heard and felt footsteps. Suddenly, a bald African-American dude leaned over me.

He held his hand out. I took it and he pulled me up.

When I was standing I saw what he looked like.

The dude was tall. I mean tall. He was wearing a short-sleeved gray-almost silver-shirt and dark jeans, with silver tennis shoes. But the weirdest thing was his eyes.

They were an icy blue, almost glowing, but kind and gentle.

At first he just looked me up and down. "You look just like Mikaela…"

I tensed up at my mom's name. "How do you know my mom?"

The dude smiled. "….But with Sam's eyes."

I glared at him suspiciously, but sighed. "Of course you're gonna know. You're part of my dream. All of this comes from my….apparently weird mind." I said, looking around the room.

He laughed. "I'm here to watch over ya for 'while. Name's Jazz." Jazz stuck his hand out.

When I didn't take it, he frowned. "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

I smirked. "That's what everybody says." I said, crossing my arms.

Jazz smiled again. "I thought this was a dream?"

I hesitated, but took his hand. "Touché." Walking over to one of the walls, I slid down it and wrapped my arms around my knees. Jazz shot me a confused look, but came and sat beside me.

I sighed. "But to survive in this world, you have to be cautious. That's one of the reasons I'm where I am now."

Jazz tilted his head. "What 'bout Barri-I mean, Cade?"

"What about him?"

"Well, what made ya trust him?"

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't answer. What had made me trust him? I struggled for an answer.

Frustrated, I turned to Jazz. "What gives you the right to stick your nose in my love life? I love Cade, and he loves me. That's enough for me."

Jazz didn't say anything, but just nodded.

Unnerved, I tried to switch the subject. "So, earlier, what did you mean by you'll be looking out for me?"

Jazz had a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, ill be in yer head for 'while. You'll be seein' me again." He smiled.

I smiled back. "You're cool, Jazz. I'd be glad to see you again."

"Yep, since this is ya mind we'll be seein' each other more."

I poked his arm. "Does my mind have a gym? It looks as if you spend more than half your time in there."

Jazz laughed. "Nope, that's just how I am." Suddenly he looked around as if he heard something, then turned to me and smiled. "Look's as if its time to wake up. Now ill be right there with ya if ya need me. Don't tell nobody 'bout this, kay?"

I gave him a weird look, but nodded. " But, cant I spend just a little more time in here? I have enough things on the outside world to deal with."

Jazz chuckled, but shook his head. "Sorry, baby girl, but it's time to rise and shine."

Even as he said these words, I felt my eyes begin to close. Though I was too focused on what he had called me to care.

He had called me baby girl. My dad had called me that. Thinking about how much Jazz acted as a father to me, I closed my eyes wishing I didn't have to leave him.

I sighed deeply and opened my eyes slowly.

At first everything was dark, but soon my eyes began adjust.

I was laying on something soft, and the air was warm. My head was laying against a pillow, I realized, and I was in a bed.

I shot up, wondering where the hell I was.

Looking around, I saw that I was in a small square shaped room. On the right of the bed, there was a door with light coming underneath it, so the must've lead somewhere else. On the wall in front of the bed, there was a dresser with a small TV on it. Next to the TV, there was another door that was open and the lights were also turned off in there. I could faintly see the outline of a sink, and I guessed that was the bathroom. Then, to the left of the bed, there was windows with the curtains drawn over them. On both sides of the bed, there was nightstands with lamps on them and one alarm clock on the one closest to me. Like I said, a small room.

I squinted at the alarm clock. "Holy shit" I muttered, "it's four AM." I had slept for thirteen hours.

I threw the covers off and rolled off the bed. Looking myself up and down, I was happy to find that I still had on my long sleeved hoodie on and my faded jeans. It was a winter time in California, and since we were up north, it was colder than Tranquility.

Combing my fingers through my hair, I walked over to the window. I parted the curtains and looked out.

There was snow everywhere. The sun was barely lighting the sky outside, but I could see clearly outside.

I saw a giant glowing Holiday Inn sign. So I must've been in a Holiday Inn hotel. Looking down, I realized I must have been on the third floor.

Across the street, there was a gas station next to a Burger King. There was two Corvettes, one gold and one silver. Next to them, there was a black Topkick Truck. A few feet away, there was a red with blue flames semi truck.

Four guys were standing close to the vehicles, talking. I was too far away to tell what they looked like. But none of this was interesting, because I had one question on my mind.

Where the hell was Cade?

I didn't see his car out in the parking lot, so he wasn't at the hotel unless he was parked in the back. So had he just ditched me here? Decided that I wasn't worth the trouble, like almost everybody else had?

I tried to push these thoughts away, but they kept coming back.

Thankfully, my phone started buzzing in my pocket and I pulled it out.

I almost leaped for joy. Cade's caller id was on the screen.

I happily flipped it open. "Hey, Cade. Where are you?"

Cade's voice sounded on the other end. "I went to get more gas and something for you to eat. You know that you slept more than twelve hours? Every time I tried to wake you up, you would just mumble."

"I don't talk in my sleep."

"Yeah, you said something like 'jazz'."

Suddenly, I felt a tingling feeling in my head. _'Make up an excuse.' _Jazz's voice sounded in my mind.

I thought it was weird, but I did what the voice said. "Ummm, I was dreaming that I was in a jazz bar and an old deaf person asked me what type of bar they were in. Then I had to write it down for them."

Cade sounded unsure. "Oookkkaayy?"

I heard a snort. _'Not good at makin' up excuses, are ya?' _said Jazz's voice again.

Annoyed, I said out loud, "Why are you still here?"

"Huh?" I heard Cade on the other end.

"Nothing, uh, I just sneezed."

'_Smooth. Real smooth.' _

'_Oh, just shut up.' _I shot back.

Desperate to change the subject, I looked for something to distract Cade with. Looking out the window, I saw the cars and trucks at the gas station.

"Hey, Cade? You know that gas station across the street? In the parking lot there's this really cool semi truck. It's blue with red flames-"

Cade cut me off. "Is there a black truck and two corvettes or a motorbike with it?"

"A black truck and two corvettes, yeah." I said, confused.

Cade said something that sounded like "frag". "Nicole, I want you to shut the curtains and come to the back of the hotel. Try not to look suspicious."

An icy feeling coursed through me. "Are they some of the people following us?"

"Yes. Meet me in the back."

"Wait, where are we?"

"Near the border."

"Wait, the Canadian border?" I shouted, but he had already hung up.

I sighed, but stuck my phone in my pocket and started looking around for my tennis shoes.

'_So, Jazz, are you still there?' _I thought, thinking that I was crazy for talking to myself.

'_Always and forever, Nicole.'_

I jumped, startled that I had gotten an answer. _'So you're in my mind now, too?'_

'_Yep.' _said Jazz's ever cheery voice.

'_Is this good or bad?'_

'_Kinda both, seein' as I can hear yer thoughts. But you'll never be alone!'_

I snorted out loud. _'Yeah, real nice.' _

I finally spotted my tennis shoes by the door leading to the hallway. I walked over and grabbed them.

Bringing them with me, I sat down on the unmade bed. _'Is there a reason for you being in my head? Or am I getting crazier?'_

Jazz sighed. _'Here comes th' hard part. See, I can't exactly tell ya.'_

'_Ok, so I'm getting crazier.' _

'_Oh, come on, Nicole. Just believe me. Yer not goin' crazy.'_

I sighed, mentally. _'Ok, so when are you going to tell me the truth?'_

I could practically hear Jazz smile. _'All in good time, baby girl. All in good time.'_

Once again, I got that same warm feeling that I had had in my dream. The feeling of being….loved.

Feeling slightly happier, I finished slipping on my shoes and walked back over to the window.

With my hands on the curtains, I looked out one more time at the people who had caused all this disruption in my new, better, happier life.

I couldn't tell what they looked like exactly, but two of them were really tall, and even then one of them was taller than the other. The other two were the exact same height and they stood right next to each other.

Suddenly the one guy who was tall, but not the tallest of the four, looked up. Right at my window.

Me, being me with my pissed off attitude towards them, did the first impulsive thing that came to mind.

I flipped the dude off.

I'm pretty sure that he was surprised by my actions. So I was happy with my self as I put my hands on my hands on my hips and watched the scene unfold before me.

The guy who I had flipped off said something to the tallest guy and pointed to my window. The tall dude and the other two guys looked at me too. Then the tallest guy said something to the others and then all four of them separated, each of them going to a different vehicle.

Only then did I realize my mistake.

Cursing my self out loud, I quickly closed the curtains. I ran to the door that I guessed lead to the hallway and tore out into the light. Blinking to adjust my eyes, I ran to the elevator and punched the down button.

The elevator seemed to take forever, but when it did open, I pushed whatever poor person was in the elevator out and I jumped in. I punched the 1st floor button about ten times, and then the close doors button about 20 times.

Finally, the elevator opened, and I sprinted out into the lobby. I started to run towards the front glass doors, but I saw the guys already walking through.

"Oh, SHIT!" I shouted, thus making them look at me.

Backing up, I ran to the clerk's desk and hid behind it. I'm not sure how this helped me, seeing as they were watching me the whole time.

Frantic, I called for Jazz. _'Jazz? A little help would be handy!'_

I heard him sigh. _'Nicole, they ain't goin' to hurt ya.'_

'_How would you know?' _I snapped.

'_Cause, I know those guys. They ain't goin' to hurt ya.'_

'_You know them?'_

'_Yep.'_

I sighed out loud. _'Ok, I'm not going to even ask how. But one more question.'_

'_What's that?_

'_Will they take me from Cade?'_

Jazz hesitated. _'Probably…' _he said, sounding like he regretted it.

'_Good enough for me.' _I said, preparing to run.

Just at that moment, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped up and hit the person in the shoulder. Hard.

I heard a grunt, and I realized it was the dude who had seen me first. He was bald, and had a gruff look to his face. But what was weird was his eyes.

They were the same glowing blue as Jazz's eyes had been.

Having a sense of deja vei, I dodged around him and started running.

The other three guys were gone, and I assumed that they were surrounding

the other exits. Hopefully they would think I wasn't smart enough to run straight out the front door. Hopefully.

Suddenly I heard pounding and I began wishing that the dude I had hit wasn't a fast runner. But by the sounds of it, the guy was right behind me.

"Wait, Nicole! We're not going to hurt you! We want to protect you!" I heard the guy shout with a deep voice.

Snorting, I shouted back at him, "Yeah right! That's what everybody says, you jackass!"

Feeling like I had made a point, I said to Jazz,_ 'See, I told you everyone says that!'_

I heard him huff. _'You didn't prove a thing. He really isn't goin' to hurt ya.'_

I sighed irritably. _'Whatever.'_

Just as I thought the guy was going to catch me, I reached the front doors.

I yanked one open and dashed out to freedom…

Right into someone's hard chest.

I fell back onto the ground, my head smacking the concrete. I saw white dots as the pain seared through me and for a moment I thought I might pass out. "What the hell?" I muttered through clenched teeth as I looked at the person I had ran into.

It was a dude with brown hair. He was saying sorry repeatedly as another person stepped out of the shadows. The new guy looked exactly the one I had ran into, except for his blonde hair. So they were twins. And guess what? They both had the same glowing blue eyes.

I held the back of my head as I tried to sit up and run. Just as I was on my feet, I swayed, and the twin with blonde hair grabbed my arm. "Sorry about that-" he was cut off as I heard the door behind me slam.

Suddenly, I was grabbed around my waist, and lifted up. This just made me more dizzy. I realized that the bald guy had grabbed me and lifted me up on his shoulder.

"Let go of me, you idiot!" I shouted at him, banging my fist on his back.

"Not a chance." he said laughing.

He started carrying me across the parking lot. At that moment, I thought in my mind, _'I'll never see Cade again.' _

A surge of fear and determination went through me, and I vowed to myself that I would fight with all my might to see Cade again.

Then I started kicking my legs and hitting my fists on the bald guy's back, screaming at the top of my lungs.

He seemed to slow down, and I took the opportunity to try wriggling in his grasp. He started shouting at the others for help, and I froze, wishing I was anywhere but there. Heck, I wouldn't have even cared if it was only ten feet away-

Suddenly, a chill went down my spine, my vision went black, and it was like I was weightless. Then a millisecond later I was dropped on the hard coldasphalt.

I immediately I jumped up, ready to run, but as I looked around I realized that I was still in the parking lot, only the guys who were after me were gone.

Spinning around, I realized that the guys were about ten feet away, looking around. _'Damn,' _I thought, _'how the hell did I get over here?' _

I heard the bald guy mutter, "Did she just teleport..?"

Then, the blonde twin spotted me. "Hey, she's right there!"

All three of them took off towards me, which triggered my reaction to run.

At first I stumbled, because I had this sudden drop in energy, but then I gained my pace again and took off like my life depended on it. Which, in a way, it did.

I heard the brunette twin shout, "We aren't going to hurt you! Stop running!"

I looked back at them but continued running down the street. "Why does everybody say that?"

Then a weird blank look came onto the bald dude's face and he stopped running. The twins went right past him, but stopped a few feet in front of him, looking at him in confusion.

I slowed down slightly as the bald guy smirked at me and just crossed his arms.

I was so confused that I stopped running completely. Which was a bad move on my part.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around me and I screamed.

"Nicole, calm down!" I heard a deep voice say. It was slightly familiar, and I almost did calm down.

But survival instincts kicked in, and I started kicking while the other three guys started walking towards me and my attacker.

Thinking back to the parking lot incident, I willed my self to be at least fifty feet away from these guys.

A chill went down my spine, and my vision went black. I suddenly became weightless. Then a millisecond later I hit hard ground.

I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the hotel parking lot.

I stood up, and looked back at the direction where the guys had went to see them all standing around bewildered. Taking advantage of this, I sprinted around the back of the hotel (slipping from ice and snow), hoping that Cade would be there with his Mustang running.

Sure enough, as I rounded the corner, there was Cade's Mustang GT. I almost shouted for joy, but calmed myself and jumped in the car.

I quickly pulled my door shut, but then I realized that Cade wasn't in the car.

I started panicking, and looked out the window back towards the hotel. I started to get out my phone when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped.

It was Cade.

I let out a breath of relief and glared at him. "Don't scare me like that! Where did you come from? You weren't in the car a second ago!"

Cade frowned. "Yes I was."

"No, you weren't. Ugh, never mind. It's a relief to see you though." I said, leaning across to hug him.

He wrapped his arms around me tight and ran his hand through my hair. "I missed you too." He said softly. "But why'd you take so long? I was getting worried-" He stopped in mid sentence and pulled back looking confused.

He was staring at his hand, and I grabbed it and looked at it.

There was a bright red substance on it. Blood.

Cade looked at me worried. "Nicole, are you bleeding?"

I felt the back of my head. It was wet with blood. I had hit my head harder than I thought.

"Umm, those guys…. Were chasing me? I hit the concrete really hard when one of the guys-" I started but Cade just held his hand up motioning for me to stop.

"I don't want the details. But I have one question." he said, reaching in the back of the car. "How did they notice you?"

I hesitated. "I flipped one of them off by impulsive instincts." I said meekly.

Cade pulled back with a white cloth. He smiled a little and shook his head. "Of course." He held the cloth out to me. "Put this on your head. Try to stop the bleeding. Now, where are the guys?"

I took the cloth and held it to my head. "Oh, just down the road." I said trying not to freak him out.

The second the words left my mouth, we shot forward and around the corner.

"Cade!" I shouted, "What the heck?"

Cade had an angry look on his face. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Nicole? Frag, I thought you were smarter than this!'

I just stared at him shocked. He had never been this angry with me. And he sure as hell hadn't ever insulted me. And what was frag?

"I-I was just worried about y-you so much, I forgot." I said in a small voice.

Cade literally growled. "What the Pit were you thinking? I have given up so much for you-"

I cut him off by slapping him.

He stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot. Slowly, he turned to me and for one moment I was afraid that he might hit me. Then I mentally slapped myself for thinking that. Cade would never hurt me.

Cade just stared at me for a moment, then rubbed his hands across his face.

Looking back at me, he said, "I needed that."

I crossed my arms. "Hell, yeah! You deserved it! Don't you think I know how much you sacrificed to protect me? You left your job early, which probably got you fired. You drove all this way, without any rest. You rented a freakin' hotel room for me! And another thing. People make mistakes. Hear that, Cade? MISTAKES! You make them too. You just did by calling me stupid! Did you even think that maybe I missed you? I was more relieved to see that you weren't kidnapped by those idiots or hadn't left me, deciding that I wasn't worth it, than I was worried about them coming after us. I love you, Cade. I love you enough to worry about you more than myself. Don't you understand that?" I finished softly.

Cade looked guilty. "I'm sorry. I get so worried that something might happen to you. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm glad that you worry about me, but I can take care of myself. What I get so mad about is when you put others before yourself. I can only take care of you as much as you let me, and right now your making that hard. You don't care about yourself as much as you should-" I stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Cade, I'm telling you this 'cause I love you. Shut UP!" He just stared at me with a crooked smile.

I continued. "I've never told anyone this, so don't repeat it. But when I woke up to find that I was still alive in the hospital, I wasn't glad. I was hoping to die, Cade. I wanted to see my mom and dad. I was disappointed that I somehow had survived. But then you came, Cade. When I met you, you gave me a reason to live. Losing you would be like separating my heart from my body and stabbing it. So you see why I'm afraid of losing you. You're my lifeline. My soul mate."

Cade sat there, looking a bit terrified. Probably since I had just admitted to wanting to die.

Sighing, I leaned back into my seat. "Just drive." I looked out the window. "Holy shit! Go! Go! Go! Drive! They're right there!" I shouted, pointing across the parking lot where the four guys were running towards us.

Cade pressed the gas and we shot off.

I rolled the window down and stuck my head out as we sped out of the driveway.

We went right past the guys and time seemed to slow down as I looked at the tallest guy who was closest.

The guy had blackish-gray hair and a kind face. He looked like a guy who was a grandfather and not a kidnapper or murderer. Oh, and guess what? He had glowing blue eyes. What a surprise. Maybe they all had special contact lenses that showed them as part of the gang or mafia or whatever gangsters were doing these days…

My thoughts were interrupted as something in my mind snapped.

The man. I knew who he was. He was….

I leaned further out the window. "ORION PAX?"

The man simply smiled and nodded, stopping. As we got farther away, the other guys stopped. Orion Pax said something to the others and they all nodded.

Then they did something that made me blink to see if the loss of blood was affecting my brain.

The vanished.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared. Just like….poof. If I had blinked, I would've missed it.

"Holy shit…"I muttered. "They just…poofed."

Then what happened next surprised me even more. The black Topkick and two Corvettes pulled out of the gas station, with the flaming semi truck in lead.

Slowly, I leaned back into the car. Pressing myself into the seat, I whispered to Cade, "Have you ever seen someone randomly disappear?"

Cade glanced at me worriedly. "Are you okay? Why'd you shout 'Orion Pax'? Your not supposed to know his name-"

I cut him off. "He was a witness to my parents' house blowing up. He explained the whole thing to me." I said softly, looking at the cars headed towards us.

Cade looked disturbed and….guilty, along with sympathy.

I sighed. For all I knew, Orion Pax had bombed my house and set it up as an accident.

'_Now, you know that ain't true.' _I heard Jazz.

"I don't know _what_ is true anymore!" I shouted out loud, angry.

Cade glanced at me worriedly, then sped up a bit more. I looked at the speedometer. We were going 98 mph.

"Don't we need to go faster?" I asked.

Cade smirked. "If I'm right, then those wretched Autobots will follow the human laws for the speed limit."

I looked at him. "Your talking weird today."

"Well, its been a weird day."

"True." It seemed weird to be talking about things so normally, as if we weren't being chased by couple of dudes who wore weird contact lenses.

I looked back and cursed. "Cade, they look like they're closer than before."

Cade looked back, too, and said that weird word again. Frag.

He pressed the gas until we were going 120 mph. "Do you see a road we can turn on?" he asked.

I looked to the sides of the road, and there it was, a dirt road turning to the right. "There." I said, pointing.

We made a sharp turn that almost made me fall into Cade's lap. For a second, the tires spun on the dirt and snow, but we gained some ground and tore down the road.

I looked out the open window to see a snow covered pasture. A crazy idea came to me, and it might not work-no, it _wouldn't _work-, but it was all I had.

"Cade do you trust me?" I asked, gripping the door handle tight.

He looked at me in confusion, but nodded. "Of course. Why-?"

'_Good enough for me' _I thought.

I heard Jazz. _'Now, don't do anythin' rash, Nicole-'_

"TOO LATE!" I shouted as I pulled the door handle and jumped out the now open door.

I heard Cade yell as I landed (painfully, too, if I might add) and rolled in the freezing snow and slush.

I groaned as I heaved myself up. The snow was going right through my clothes and was freakin' cold. The sensation was like someone was sticking me with knives.

I heard tires squeal and I knew that if I didn't get up right then, that Cade would catch me.

I propped myself up on one knee and pushed the rest of me up. I felt a pain in my side and I was sure that it was where I had broken ribs. The rest of my injuries were hopefully just bruises and cuts.

I went as fast as I could with out causing my side pain, which was a brisk walk.

I walked to the barbed wire fence and slid through the gap, cutting up any skin that had remained untouched. Clenching my teeth I set off at a jog across the pasture.

If those guys wanted me so badly, then they can abandon they're pretty little cars and chase me on foot. In the forest surrounding the pasture I might be able to hide-

I was halfway across the pasture when I heard an engine and then a crashing sound.

I looked over to see Cade's Mustang GT tear through an old gate that I had failed to notice. Crap.

Cade barreled towards me, with what looked like an angry look on his face. Great, he was mad again.

I jogged slightly faster, but Cade stopped right in front of me and got out. "What the Pit were you thinking? At the speed that I was going, you could've been killed! Just what did you think you'd accomplish by doing that?"

I was getting annoyed by his anger issues, and a little afraid even.

"Cade." I said in a dangerously quiet voice." I'm going to run and hide in the woods. Don't try to stop me. No matter how invincible you think you are, your still a human being. I can take care of myself. I have a…. hunch about something, something that could help me." I said thinking back to the incident where I kept appearing in another spot.

Cade didn't look reassured. "Nicole, if you don't get in the car right now, I will personally throw you in there-"

He was interrupted as the semi, Topkick, and two Corvettes burst through the now opened gate and into the pasture towards us.

Cade stared at the approaching vehicles for a few seconds, then looked back to me. "Go." he whispered, almost like the words hurt him. "Hide."

I just gave him a worried look. The whole reason for me coming to this pasture alone was so that the guys would forget Cade and focus on me. Now here I was, injured with him telling me to go while he faced the guys. Some plan this turned out to be.

'_Listen to 'im. The mech knows what he's doin'. Go.' _I heard Jazz. I regarded what he said. I didn't like it. And what was a mech?

Regretfully, I started running as fast as my ribs would allow it.

Before I knew it, I was in the protection of the trees. I turned around and crouched in the foliage around me to watch. If Cade needed help, I'd know.

He had his back turned to me now, and the four vehicles had stopped about thirty feet away.

And then, just like that, he vanished. Just like the guys when they were on the sidewalk.

I shivered, and continued watching. Then a certain voice popped in my head.

'_I think it would be best if ya ran an' hid, like he said. Otherwise yer in for a big surprise that I don't think ya want.'_

I sighed out loud, but then winced when I felt a sting in my side. _'Forget it, Jazz. I'm staying right here to see if Cade's going to need help.'_

'_An' just what will ya do?'_

'_I don't know. Do what I did in the hotel parking lot.'_

'_You don't even know what that was.'_

I growled out loud and forced him out of my mind. I needed to focus on what was before me.

After the whole disappearing act, Cade's car just sat there revving its engine. Which was weird, since no one was in the car.

Then all of a sudden, I heard a loud high-pitched whirring, almost a whining sound. One second after the sound started, the metal plating on the Mustang started sliding around, while gears moved and changed shape.

I watched in shock as the car took the shape of a standing man. It had a head, arms, legs, fingers, even a mouth and nose. But the most chilling thing was it's eyes.

They were a bright blood red.

I almost screamed, but something in my mind stopped me. They eyes were somehow familiar, but they were also like the ones in my dream.

Suddenly the four other vehicles permitted the same whirring sound, and in a few seconds time, they were four standing figures. The black Topkick was short, and had a gruff look to it. The two Corvettes had turned into two golden and silver twins. But the semi truck was the tallest, and he had an air of power around him. I was guessing that this was the leader. They shared a red face, almost like an insignia.

And they all had the same glowing blue eyes.

There was something larger here at work than I knew about. Much, much larger.

I was shook from my awed state by the semi truck speaking. _Speaking._

"Where is she, Barricade?" It said in a deep voice that would belong to a man.

Barri_cade_?

The robot that had been Cade's Mustang GT growled. "Who? You Autobot scums must've finally overloaded your processors."

I sat there frozen like a statue.

That voice… was a deeper version of _Cade's_ voice.

So quick that I didn't notice it until it was over, the Topkick robot had lunged at the robot that originally had been a Mustang, the one I assumed was Barricade.

"You know who we're talking about, you glitch! You've probably handed her off to your Decepticon buddies by now! If she's harmed in anyway-" he started in a gruff, deep voice of a man.

He was cut off by the sound of what I thought was a plane. I leaned out just in time to see three jets swoop over us in a triangle formation.

They flew out of my view, but they came turning around in a few seconds. Then I heard a hollow clanking sound, and they were blurs as they fell towards the field.

When they landed, there was a small earthquake that shook the ground. As they stood up, I saw them clearly.

The one in front was silver and black, and had a triangular shape to his frame, with what I guessed was wings on his back the completed the triangle shape.

The one behind him to the right was a bigger blue one, and the one beside him was purple and black, a bit smaller than the silver and black one, too.

They all shared the same triangular shape, a purple insignia that was similar but more evil-looking than the one on the other robots, and the same blazing red optics.

Something in my head tinged, like a clock turning midnight. I was confused, and started to ask Jazz if he had heard it, when my vision went white.

I fell back onto my back as pain erupted through my head.

I couldn't see squat since my eyes were shut from the pain. It hurt so much that I couldn't scream, and I just writhed on the ground in silent pain.

And just like that, it was gone.

I took in deep breaths, while my vision began to clear. I saw flickering at the corner of my eye, but when I focused on it danced away.

Then I heard the whispers. They were quiet at first, but they were becoming louder and faster.

I stood shakily, and leaned against a tree next to me. I had no idea what was going on in the field, but I didn't care at the moment. I was more focused on the whispers and things I saw at the edge of my vision.

'_Jazz? Did you hear or feel that?'_

Jazz sounded concerned and worried. _'Sorry bout that, Nicole. It was the only way ta get ya at 'member.'_

I felt angry, and a little more than afraid. _'You-you caused that?' _I was hesitant about it since…well, if Jazz could make it happen again…I didn't want to feel that pain again. You get the idea.

Jazz must've felt my fear. _'Oh, come on, baby girl, you know I wouldn't do that to ya. Besides, I didn't even do that. That was the Primes, makin' sure ya got what you'll need in the future. Ya needed to 'member the All Spark's information.'_

'_All Spark?' _I asked as I watched the flickering become more flickering.

'_I'll explain that later. Just watch out for the Cons-'_

'_No!' _I shouted at him. _'I want answers and I want them now! I'm sick and tired of waiting. I bruised, cut, and have broken ribs! And for what? I don't even know! You better start talking-' _I stopped as something passed in front of my eyes.

I started to ask Jazz what it was when it was there again. And again. I focused on one of the things as if went past.

It was a symbol of some sort, and it looked familiar. After staring at it for a second I knew what it meant.

It meant Prime.

I was confused as more symbols flooded my vision, until I couldn't see anything. I clutched my head as I felt a massive headache erupt in my head.

'_Jazz? I can't see anything-'_

'_Dodge, Nicole!' _I heard Jazz shout.

'_What-'_

Suddenly I felt a rush of air beside me, and I dodged to the side as something fell on the spot where I had just been.

I looked at it, which was really pointless, but I managed to get a glimpse of black and purple. I realized what it was and screamed. It was the purple and black robot with red eyes.

I jumped up and took off running, blind as to where I was going. Anywhere besides there at the moment would have been good.

I willed myself to be somewhere else, like I had in the parking lot, but nothing happened. So I kept running, and I could feel bushes tripping me and tree branches hitting my face, all while I heard and felt a pounding behind me. The robot must've been chasing me.

I felt the air rush beside me, and I jumped to the side. I felt an impact beside me, along with a frustrated growl. What was the thing doing, teleporting-

I gasped as the ground beneath me fell away, and I tumbled down a cliff side.

Then I hit the bottom, and I couldn't see what I had landed on, but what ever it was, it was cold and slick. Then I realized what it must've been.

It was ice. _'I must either be on an ice-covered road-_

Suddenly, I heard a cracking noise. The ice beneath me broke, and I tumbled into water.

_-or I'm on a frozen river._' I finished my thought.

And then I faced a chilling fact that made me freeze as the water flooded around me. And it wasn't the ice cold temperature of the water.

It was fear. Of drowning.

Because I can't swim.

* * *

Its really long isnt it? review


	4. Why Are My Clothes Wet?

Chapter 4: Why Are My Clothes Wet?

Barricade POV

I watched as she ran into the trees surrounding the field with a heavy spark. I didn't want to let her go off on her own, but I couldn't have her stay in the field. Now all she has to do is listen to me and hide. I could always hope….

Yeah, right. What was I thinking? She doesn't ever listen.

I sighed and turned back to face the four Autobots driving towards me.

When they stopped, I turned off my holoform and transformed so I could face them.

A few seconds after I had, they transformed. I recognized the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, the black weapon specialist, Ironhide, and the gold and silver twins, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

Just my luck. They bring the weapons specialist with a temper who could've possibly gotten close to Nicole when she was younger, and a temperamental twin. Yes, I've heard of his anger issues.

Fanfraggintastic.

Prime spoke after a few seconds of silence. "Where is she, Barricade?"

I answered with what I hoped was a guarded expression and with some contempt in my voice. "Who? You Autobot scums must've finally overloaded your processors."

So fast that I wasn't prepared, Ironhide lunged at me and pinned me to the ground, with his cannons shoved in my face.

"You know who we're talking about, you glitch! You've probably handed her off to your Decepticon buddies by now! If she's harmed in anyway-" e was cut off as we heard the sound of a jet nearby. Three jets to be exact.

The weapons specialist looked away from me as Starscream and his two trinemates, Thundercracker and Skywarp, landed a few hundred yards away.

Ironhide leaped off me and pointed his cannons at the three Seekers and the other Autobots took on fighting stances as well.

Starscream laughed, a horrid noise that sounded like he had what the humans called a cough. "Did the Autobots finally catch up to you, traitor?"

I growled and hauled myself back to my pedes. "Still haven't got your vocalizer fixed yet, Starscream? Oh wait, that's the way its supposed to be, isn't it?"

Starscream growled, and Skywarp, the insane mech he was, laughed out loud.

"Shut up, idiot!" Starscream snapped.

The Autobots watched us in confusion. Even Prime didn't try to hide his confusion.

"So where is she, hmm, Barricade? Or have you already lost her to the Autobots, and they were about to finish you off?" Starscream asked, pointing his null rays and missiles at me and the Autobots. Thundercracker and Skywarp did the same, following the example of their trineleader.

"So, wait, you don't have Nicole?" asked the silver twin, Sideswipe, with a confused expression on his faceplates.

"If we had the squishy, we wouldn't be here would we?" snapped Thundercracker, who sounded impatient.

Starscream growled. "Neither of you have the squishy, do you? Skywarp, search the forest."

As soon as he had finished the order, Skywarp was gone in a rush of air.

Prime must've commed the twins to attack Starscream and Thundercracker, because they lunged at them while the Autobot leader and weapons specialist darted towards the forest.

But everything seemed to freeze as we heard a crash come from the treeline.

And then I heard the scream.

A human femme scream.

Quicker than I thought I could, I took off running towards the trees. I could make out the shape of Skywarp standing in the exact same place where Nicole had vanished. I started praying to Primus that he hadn't landed on her.

I felt slightly better when Skywarp started running inwards through the trees. I barely noticed the pounding footsteps behind me as I entered the trees, and I surely didn't turn around to see who it was.

I focused all my energy on keeping up with Skywarp, because if he was running, then that meant Nicole was running.

Frag that girl! Why hadn't she run?

A little voice at the back of my processor whispered to me. _'Because you never told her the truth. She didn't know what to expect.'_

I pushed it away angrily, but guiltily. It was true. If I had told her the truth, maybe she would've run. Maybe…

Then I realized that Skywarp had stopped.

I slowed, but I could still hear the pounding behind me. I slowed to a walk, and then came to a complete stop a few yards away from Skywarp.

We were standing on a cliff that was overlooking an ice-covered river. Right in the middle of the river was a hole where the ice had broken and cracks were splayed around it like spider-webs.

And Nicole was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Nicole POV

I struggled to grasp the ice and stay afloat. I was cold, my clothes were heavy, and the hypothermia was setting in.

My fingers were numb, and my breaths were becoming shallow. It was hard to think a clear thought, and I could hear Jazz telling me something, but it was too hard to tell what it was.

Suddenly, my grasp on the ice slipped, and I fell back into the water, barely managing to take a breath.

I started struggling to get up, but I just couldn't. I faintly heard Jazz say something that sounded like 'kick your legs'.

I tried it, and surprisingly, it worked. I kicked harder, and shot up.

With one last kick, I shot upwards….

And into a ceiling of ice.

The pain in my head was unbearable, and I began to see dots. I felt myself sinking, but at that point I didn't care.

I was thinking of the people and cat I'd leave behind. Spice, Taylor….and Cade.

I didn't know what to think about Cade. How had he just disappeared, and then his car transformed, talking with a voice that sounded just like Cade's.

I didn't know what to think. But I knew what I did know.

I loved Cade.

As darkness closed around me, I thought that last thought.

* * *

Suddenly I felt a hand on my face, a warm hand. It was rubbing my cheeks, as if trying to warm me up.

It worked. I opened my eyes to see Jazz's worried face. When I groaned, he smiled.

"Thank Primus, Nicole, for a second I thought you were with the Matrix. I thought tha' maybe the Primes hadn't kept their promise."

"Jazz-" I started, but soon I started coughing. I tried to sit up, but everything felt so heavy.

"Shh, you need to just sit still. I'm gonna help ya out, 'k?"

Jazz moved out of the way, and came behind me. He stuck his hands under my arms, and started pulling me towards a moving-symbol-covered wall. I realized that we were back in the room where I had first met Jazz.

Jazz leaned me against a wall. I looked at him as he stood back in front of me.

"Am I dead?" I asked with all the strength I had left.

Jazz smiled again. "No, not yet. But if I don't get movin' your gonna be."

Then he frowned. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that."

His blue eyes glowed a brighter blue, and just like that, he vanished.

'_Why does everyone keep vanishing?' _I thought as I closed my eyes.

* * *

Barricade POV

I started towards the river, half running, half sliding down the cliff.

I knew that Nicole didn't know a thing about swimming. That much was obvious when Nicole, Taylor, and I took a trip to the river and I had to carry her across two feet deep water with my holoform.

So I'm guessing that a deep frozen river wouldn't be much better.

Halfway down the cliff, I felt something grip my shoulder, then my arm. I looked back to see that Prime had shot grappling hooks at me.

"Barricade!" he yelled. "Don't go in the river! We don't know where she is under the ice! Back up is on the way!"

I snarled, and with one hard pull I pulled free of the grappling hooks. "She doesn't know how to swim! She'll drown!"

But Prime wasn't looking at me anymore. He was staring at something behind me. Slowly I turned around.

At first I saw nothing, but then I saw something under the ice. It couldn't have been Nicole. That was impossible.

Suddenly an arm broke through the ice, ten feet away from the hole. But it wasn't Nicole. A dark-skinned man pulled himself out of the ice, and I almost collapsed when he pulled Nicole out behind him.

He was wearing a gray shirt and dark jeans that were….dry.

I watched as he pulled Nicole off the ice, stepping off just as the ice broke all the way.

He laid Nicole on the ground against a tree. Then he looked back up at me. His eyes were the exact same glowing blue color of the Autobots.

"It's 'bout time she learned the truth. You'll have 'lot to explain when-and if-she wakes up. But I sugges' that you try to revive her." Then he looked at Prime and smiled. "How's it goin', boss bot?"

And like that he disappeared.

After a few seconds, I got in gear and immediately waded across the river to Nicole.

As soon as I was in range of her, I knelt down on my knees and scooped her up in my hands.

She was pale. I had never seen anyone that pale. And…. She looked so lifeless….

But the most alarming thing was that she wasn't breathing at all. I turned her on her side and started rubbing her back.

At first nothing happened, but then she coughed. Then she coughed again, and this time she coughed up water. I sighed in relief as a little color returned to her cheeks and she started breathing again.

I held her to my spark to warm her, and only then did I look up to see if anyone had decided to blow my helm off for holding Nicole.

Skywarp was nowhere to be seen. He had probably run off to his trinemates to tell them of his failure.

But Prime….He was still staring at the spot where the dark-skinned human had disappeared, and his arms were hanging loosely at his sides. "Jazz…." I heard him whisper as a crashing noise came behind him.

The trees shook as Ironhide came running through the tree line to a stop beside Prime with his cannons blazing.

"Where is she, Prime? Those two fraggin' Seekers flew away with they're equally fraggin' brother. We weren't sure if they had her…" he trailed off as he noticed that Prime wasn't listening to a word he said.

Then he looked around, as if he was at loss of what had happened.

And then he spotted me.

Immediately he snarled and pointed his cannons at me. "What did you do to her?" He growled. So he had spotted Nicole's limp body.

"_I _didn't do anything to her. Skywarp was the one who chased her into the slaggin' river!" I said, turning so that Nicole wasn't in his view.

He looked confused for a second, but then he put a hardened look on his faceplates. "Give her to me Barricade."

I pulled Nicole closer to me. "Over my off-line body!"

I prepared to run as I heard Ironhide's cannons power, but suddenly Prime broke out of his dream-like state.

"Wait, Ironhide." he said, putting a servo on his shoulder. "There is something we don't know here." Then he turned to me. "Barricade, there will be explaining to do…..if you will come with us willingly."

I almost immediately said frag no, but then I thought about it. If I went with them, their medic could help Nicole. Or, if I refused, I could try to make it out of the woods(hopefully in one piece) and try to make it to a hospital.

But then again the doctors would want to know why I was dry and she was wet.

And…. If I went with the Autobots, they would most likely take me to their base. Where there's most likely other Autobots. And army weapons.

Their base would be the safest place for Nicole.

I wouldn't be very welcome, but I wouldn't let them even try to take her away. Where she goes, I follow. No matter what.

Slowly, I nodded.

* * *

Nicole POV

I took a deep breath.

Wait….I breathed?

Slowly I opened my eyes.

Jazz was sitting in front of me with his legs crossed. He smiled when he saw me. "So, you finally woke up, huh? Barricade must've got to you quick."

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. I was back in the room where the walls were covered in moving symbols. Just like the symbols that I saw before that purple robot practically landed on me.

Wait a second. Robot?

I stood up so fast that Jazz jumped back a little.

"What happened? Where's Cade? Why the hell did his car transform into a giant robot that sounded like him? Why does everyone keep vanishing?" I sucked in air as more questions filled my head. "What the hell is going on?"

Jazz stood up and smiled at me sadly. "You'll have ta figure that out when ya wake up. But for now, you'll have ta just wait."

I glared at him. "Why cant you tell me?"

When he opened his mouth, I held my hands up. "Never mind. Don't answer that." I rubbed my temples. "My head hurts. I'm tired. And I'm cold. Why are my clothes wet? Don't answer that."

I sighed a deep sigh and plopped back down. "Jazz….My head feels so full. Its like every time I close my eyes I see….things. Like symbols and images. Words keep popping up in my head randomly. Like… Decepticon, Prime, Autobots, and All Spark. That one happens a lot. Stupid head. Stupid day." I muttered childishly.

I looked at Jazz. He was staring at me with a look like he almost didn't believe me.

I glared at him some more. "What? It's true. All of it." Jazz just stared at me. "Will you stop fraggin' staring at me?"

Jazz finally reacted by looking at me in shock. "Did you just say frag?" he asked quietly.

I almost said no, but then I covered my mouth and felt my eyes go wide. I has just said that. Something was seriously wrong with me.

I felt tears come to my eyes, but I wiped them back furiously. I was not going to cry. I would never cry again. Never.

I sniffled and shut my eyes. "What's wrong with me, Jazz?"

A few seconds later I felt something warm wrap around me. I opened my eyes to see that Jazz had knelt down and hugged me.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. He was warm compared to my wet clothes.

For once in the last 24 hours, I felt sure. Sure, and safe.

I sighed deeply, wondering why life couldn't always feel like this. I mean, yeah, I had been loving life the past year, with Cade and Taylor and Spice… But, there were times when it was all too much and I wished so badly that I could see my parents, talk to them. Hell, talk to anyone that knew them. I felt like I barely knew them, since I had lived most of life without them.

I missed them. That much was obvious.

And suddenly I knew what I had to do.

I pulled back from Jazz and smiled. "Thanks, Jazz. I feel better now, and I know what to do."

Jazz looked happy that he had helped me. "Anything tha' I could do to help, baby girl. I always know how to help someone in need of a shoulder ta cry on-" he stopped as I got up. "Wait a sec, what are ya gonna do?"

I didn't answer him as I walked to one of the symbols on the wall and studied it. As I leaned towards it, it stopped moving as if it were waiting for me.

I just had this feeling that if I touched a symbol, something important would happen. I had to know what, before I woke up.

Still looking at the symbol, I gestured to Jazz for him to come stand by me. "Jazz, if I touched that symbol, what would happen?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. And ya still haven't answered my question."

I glared at him. "You'll find out when I wake up." Then, hesitantly, I reached forward with my index finger and touched the symbol.

I felt a shock in my finger, and I blinked. When I opened my eyes, a roaring sound met my ears, and I stumbled from the change of quiet peace to the sound of war.

I regained my balance, looking around.

There, about 100 feet away, was a giant robot thing. It had no colors but gray and a blue-green color on its earfins and bright red eyes. It was standing on a giant rock, with a spear that was almost as long as it was tall.

And one word popped in my head.

Fallen.

I gasped and blinked. And when I opened my eyes, I was back in the room with Jazz.

My head was hurting, bad, and I almost fell but Jazz put his hand on my back. I heard him ask if I was okay, but I didn't answer. My head was spinning, and I needed to wake up.

After a minute, I opened my eyes. I looked at Jazz, who looked like he had wanted to ask me some questions, but I shook my head. "Jazz, I need to wake up. Now. I just have this feeling that if I don't, something will happen to Cade."

Jazz shook his head. "Okay, but one more thing before ya go."

As the darkness closed in, I barely heard the next thing he said.

"His name is Barricade, not Cade."

* * *

Barricade POV

I walked through the small path that I had made chasing Skywarp. We had caused quite a bit of damage.

As I walked in the open field, I saw the Autobot medic, Ratchet, and the small purple form of Arcee.

I hesitated in walking closer to them, but Ratchet held open his hand. Reluctantly, I walked closer and handed Nicole to him. I worried about her. Her lips were tinged blue and her skin was pale.

I turned back to Prime and Ironhide, wondering if they would shoot me now that I let go of Nicole.

Living up to his promise, Prime didn't make a move to kill me.

Instead, he started to speak. "Barricade, would you care to explain why you did not hand over Nicole to the other Decepticons, and why you have her in the first place?"

I glared at him. "I quit being a Decepticon three and a half Earth years ago. And as for why she is with me, I wont answer that. All I can say is that she came of her own free will. You'd probably shoot me if I told you the truth." Which was probably right. I'm not sure how they'd react to us being in love, but I'm sure it would be close to them shooting my aft off.

Prime sighed. "We just want to know why she's with you. I promise not to shoot you."

I hesitated. He had kept his promise before, so why not now?

Trying to keep it straight and to the point, I said the truth point blank.

"I love her. I've been dating her for the past three years."

For a second nothing happened, but then Ironhide had an out-raged look on his faceplates.

"WHAT?"

* * *

Nicole POV

Slowly, I came back from my sleep. And the first thing I thought was, 'What?'

What the hell had Jazz been talking about? His name's not Cade? It's Barri_cade_?

And then it clicked.

The black and silver robot that had been Cade's car was Cade. But his name was Barricade.

For a moment I was stunned. How exactly are you supposed to act when you find out that you've been dating a car for the past three years? Were his-or it's-feeling even real?

And that's when I realized I was being held in something warm, but hard.

I opened my eyes and looked straight up….

Into the face of a silver, yellow, and red robot.

If a robot could feel shock, and show it, this one was doing a damn good job at it.

I was shocked, too. I sat up so fast that one of my cracked ribs made pain shoot through me, but it wasn't as bad as before(for some strange reason).

My clothes were still wet, and I was still cold, and my head still hurt.

But we weren't by the river. We were back in the field, and the robot was _holding_ me in it's _hands._

I scrambled backwards, and almost fell off side of his hand. He caught me with his other hand and said something like 'Don't freak out'.

Then I saw the black and silver robot that had been the Mustang GT. The robot that had dated me all these years. The robot that lied to me.

He was saying something to the blue and red robot. Then he stopped, and the black Topkick robot and semi truck robot had a shocked look on his face.

Then the black Topkick robot shouted "WHAT?"

He raised his arm, which was now a cannon, and aimed at the car that had transformed from a Mustang.

I knew that if I didn't do something, I wouldn't have the chance to kill the Mustang robot.

Which I fully intended to do myself.

I thought back to the parking lot incident where I had teleported, I guess, and thought about being on the shoulder of the Mustang robot.

I felt a chill go down my spine, my vision went black, and I felt weightless.

Then everything brightened as I dropped on the shoulder of the Mustang robot.

He jumped in surprise, but seeing the Topkick's cannon glow brighter, I teleported us all the way on the other side of the field.

I felt the strain of teleporting something so large, but then it was over, and I, along with the robot, fell into the snow.

I fell flat on my face. The snow was freezing cold, and I was so tired I could have taken a nap right there.

Note to self: don't teleport things that are large, like a giant robot.

…...

Bumblebee POV

I opened the door for Jackie as she walked up from her high school.

She sat down and threw her bag in the passenger seat. "How was your day?" I asked her.

"Horrible. Mrs. Jenson hates me. I got a C on the test."

"The big English one?"

"Yep. But enough about me. How was your day?"

"Same as every day. Drop you off, drive around, recharge for a few hours, pick you up, recharge again."

"You make it sound like a bad thing. I'd rather do that than face Mrs. Jenson."

"It gets lonely after a while."

Jackie was silent and she had that thinking face on. Then she smiled. "Aren't there more Transformers like you?"

That took me by surprise. "Yes, but not all of them are exactly friendly. The ones that were my friends…. I haven't seen them in 12 years."

"Well, why not?"

I hesitated, not wanting to bring up old memories. "Something…happened 12 years ago. My best friends died. I couldn't handle it, so I drove off. I haven't heard from them since."

Jackie stared at the steering wheel. "So, ever since I met you, 2 years ago, in dire need of repair I might add, you never bothered to tell me that there's more of you?" She slapped the dashboard and glared at me. "You need to send them a message, telling them your sorry and that you'd like to see them again. Where are they anyway?"

"There's a base on an island called Diego Garcia, but there is a land base too."

"Well, I want you to go see them. I can walk to school for a while."

"But….." I couldn't find a reason not to do what she said. I had thought about it for a while, but had never really considered it.

But what I worried about was….would Nicole ever forgive me for leaving her? She didn't even know what I was.

I sighed. "Ok, I guess I'll look to see if they've sent me any messages."

Jackie stared at me in shock. "What, you receive messages too? You're holding out on me."

I laughed and pulled up to her house. She pulled her keys out to make it look as though she had been driving. "See ya later, 'Bee. I'll try to sneak out after Mom and Dad are asleep." She got out and shut the door.

When she was in the house, I started going over my messages. I had at least three hundred.

I sighed. This would take a while.

* * *

After 289 messages from everybody at the base, I was getting tired.

The first messages were all about telling me to come back, and after around 150, they were updates on Decepticon activity and reports from the base.

But when it got to 295, I got interested.

Optimus sent me one saying they were following Barricade up North. Why, but in the next message I found out.

Now I for sure had to go back.

Ratchet said they were near the Canadian border. They had been chasing Barricade because they found out that Nicole was with him.

What the frag was she doing with him?

I got ready for recharge, since I would have a long trip. In the morning I would send a message to Ratchet and tell Jackie goodbye.

* * *

Hey you guys, im trying to get my chaps in faster than last time. Thx for all the wonderful reviews! I enjoy hearing what people have to say. I hope this ones not too short compared to my last one. Review! Oh and if you have any questions, ask me! And I know. Bad ending, isn't it? But I got Bumblebee in!


	5. Apologies and WeirdMemories

Chapter 5: Apologies and Old Memories

Barricade POV

I sat there feeling stunned. What the Pit just happened? I regained my wits and sat up and looked around.

I was all the way on the opposite side of the field. On the other side, the Autobots were looking at me, with stunned faceplates. Ironhide still had his cannon trained on the spot where I _had_ been.

I looked beside me. Nicole was laying facedown in the snow. When she didn't move, I almost reached forward and picked her up.

But her head whipped up, and she had a tired and annoyed look on her face. She groaned and stood up.

Brushing her self off, she looked at me. "You _owe _me big time. And some answers, too."

I just stared at her, not sure what to say. When she started walking towards the Autobots, I finally overcame my shock. "How did you get us over here?"

Nicole kept walking. "Why should _I _tell _you_ anything?" Then she sighed. "I teleported us over here. I don't know if you noticed, but Ironhide was about to blast your head off." Then she stopped walking. "I have no idea how I know that his name is Ironhide."

I stood up and walked to her side. "Do you know who I am?"

Nicole looked up at me. She had a hurt and betrayed look on her face. "Yes, I do, Barri_cade._"

Frag. I had wanted to tell her myself.

Now Nicole looked outright mad. No, furious is a better term.

She pointed at me. "I also know how you lied to me all these years. I know how you acted like you cared about me. I know how you acted like someone else this whole time. Your just some alien robot. And…..I fell for it all." She turned and started walking again.

"But you can bet that it wont happen again." I barely heard her as she disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the field with the Autobots.

…...

Nicole POV

I reappeared on the other side with the other robots.

Somehow I just knew their name. I asked Jazz about it but he didn't say anything.

The robots were just staring at me like they expected me to disappear like I had before. The thought was very tempting.

The neon yellow with red stripes was Ratchet. The golden twin was Sunstreaker and the silver twin was Sideswipe. The black robot was Ironhide. The small purple robot was Arcee. And last, but not least, the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. Funny thing was….they all seemed familiar.

Ratchet was the first to speak. "Well, don't just stand there. Come here. You didn't let me finish scanning you. I may not have seen you in years, but I still remember when you were just a youngling all the times you did something to hurt yourself."

I blinked. "Wait…..Ratch?"

I remember now… When I my parents were still alive, they took me to only one doctor, and that doctor had been Ratchet. The voice, attitude, and over all 'Do as I say and no one gets hurt' manner was very familiar. (It was actually hard to forget).

I started walking towards Ratchet, still amazed that an alien robot had been my doctor.

As I was in reaching distance of him Ratchet, he leaned down and scooped me up gently.

I swayed a bit, but sat down and found that the metal was warm. Taking advantage of this, I leaned down farther into his servo. Wait, servo?

I felt a small tingling go through me and it tickled, so a small giggle escaped my lips. Ratchet looked at me worriedly. "Does something hurt?"

I laughed at his expression. It felt good. "No, it just tickled." Seeing his faceplates-again, huh?-I explained. "You know, uh, humans have sensitive spots on their body, and, like, if you poke them, they make you laugh."

Ratchet had a faraway look on his faceplates. "Yes, I remember. Sam would do that to Mikaela often to cheer her up."

My good mood was gone in a flash. After an uncomfortable silence, I finally found the right words. "So, you really there when I was smaller, huh?"

Ratchet nodded. "Yes. See for yourself, youngling." His optics-why am I not surprised-dimmed, and in a second, standing right beside me was a man who I recognized right off the bat.

He had silver hair, a bit of a gray beard, and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a doctor's coat, so it fit the personality perfectly.

Ratchet onlined his optics and looked behind me. I stood up and turned around.

Apparently the other Autobots had crowded around us while we were talking. I looked at all of their optics, which were dim, and then to the ground.

On the ground, were their holoforms. And I knew everyone of them.

Arcee had a dark brown haired holoform, who I remembered meeting at least five times.

The Corvette twins, as I saw them more closely(well they _had_ been chasing me), I realized had been some of my favorite people to hang around. They had played prank after prank, taught me the ways of trouble making(and running and hiding in fear of a very ticked off victim), and blackmail. You can bet on it that none of those skills have faded.

Then there was Ironhide. Every defensive move I knew today, he had taught me. And if you think teaching a 7 year old moves to take down a man is flat out stupid, then you'd think it's idiotic how much those skills come in to play.

Then….there was Optimus. Or better known as 'Orion Pax'. I had only met him once. And it was to tell me what had happened to my parents the night of the fire.

Not exactly comforting memory to remember him by.

I allowed myself a small smile. Here was what most of my family had consisted of before my parents died. And we were all back together.

That's when I heard a small cough.

I turned to see Barricade standing a few yards away, like he didn't know what to do.

And my happy moment was gone. Yet again.

I teleported-I really need to think up a better name than teleporting-to the ground, not really caring if the scan was finished.

Walking up to Optimus, I said "Optimus, don't you have a land base?"

He looked surprised as he knelt down to my level. "Yes, but…how would you know of that?"

I looked to the ground. "I…..just know." And I did. I could've told you the exact location and coordinates. It was out in a remote part of Nevada, and was quite large. I was sort of surprised that it wasn't called Area 52.

I looked back at Optimus. "I just cant explain it right now, ok? But when we get to the base, ill explain then. For now…I need to talk to Barricade about trust issues. We'll follow you there."

I started walking towards Barricade, but stopped. "Oh, and Optimus, I need to make a stop at my apartment to pick up someone, 'kay?"

I almost smiled at the expression on his faceplates.

_A/N:(im only going to do certain peoples POVs. Basically where its needed. This is not one of those occasions)_

Optimus watched Nicole walk over to Barricade, feeling very unsure about her.

She knew things she shouldn't, and he had a hunch of how she knew it, but he prayed to Primus that he was wrong.

"Optimus." He turned around to see Ratchet and Ironhide standing behind him.

"Yes, Ironhide?"

Ironhide looked happy, no more than happy, over-joyed compared to his usual demeanor. "I was going to send another message to Bumblebee, but he'd already responded to our last one. He's coming back."Optimus was surprised for a moment, then smiled. Finally, after all these years, he was coming back. "Tell him to go to the land base. He will probably arrive before we do."

Ironhide optics dimmed for a moment. Then his optics onlined and he nodded. Then he looked grim again. "But what are we going to do about-"

Ratchet cut him off. "Nicole?" He sighed. "There are things…..that I cannot explain about that girl. She is far too healthy for her to have almost drowned, almost have hypothermia, and not be overcame with shock. And if you have not noticed, she doesn't have a single cut on her."

Optimus agreed all too much with what Ratchet said. He turned around just in time to see Barricade transform back into his alt mode and open his door to Nicole.

At first she hesitated, but then she wrapped her arms around her self and got in the driver's seat.

Barricade did not drive off as Optimus had expected, but instead just sat there revving his engine every few seconds. Maybe he was actually waiting for them…

Optimus turned back to Ironhide and Ratchet. "We _will _get the story from Barricade as to why he was with Nicole in the first place." Seeing Ironhide flexing his servos and grinning evilly, he added, "_Peacefully_, Ironhide."

Optimus looked past them to tell the Corvette twins and Arcee to get ready to roll out, but stopped at the sight that he saw.

The twins were both covered in the snow, and they each had servos full of snow. Arcee looked amused as they threw the snow at each other, yelling insults every so often.

Ratchet, who noticed him staring at something, turned around to see the twins. He growled loudly, but when they didn't stop he pulled something from his subspace.

Ratchet flung one at each twin, and Optimus had a hunch that the objects were wrenches fixed especially just for this purpose.

Arcee wasn't trying to hold in her laughter anymore as the twins looked up. Sideswipe pointed at Ratchet. "I told you he kept more in his subspace!" he yelled at Sunny.

Sunny just glared at Ratchet.

Ratchet glanced back to Optimus. "You now have their undivided attention."

"Wasn't that a bit unorthodox?"

"Unorthodox, but effective."

Optimus looked a bit unsure, but called back to the twins and Arcee anyway. "Autobots, roll out!"

As they transformed back to their alt modes, they failed to notice Nicole smiling out Barricade's window.

Nicole POV

I saw the expression on Barricade's faceplates and almost stopped in surprise.

He looked nervous. I had no idea that robots could display emotion so well.

I focused on the task at hand. Talk to Barricade and sort him out. Decide whether or not he loved me.

Soon I was standing before him, craning my neck to see him better.

When he didn't say anything, I decided to come up straight and ask him point blank.

"Why, Barricade?"

He looked confused. "Why-"

I cut him off glaring at him. "Why? Why did you pretend to be someone else? Why did you lie to me? Why did you lie to me about _everything_?"

"I didn't lie about everything." He said quietly.

I was shocked. What did he not lie about? His phone number? I mean, come _on._

He knelt down to me. "I didn't lie to you about everything. I love you. I did _not _lie about _that._"

I just stared at for him a moment. Then I shivered. I had this strange feeling in my gut that he wasn't lying.

He must have seen me shiver, because he said "If you want, I can transform and turn the heaters up."

I thought for a moment, then turned back to look at Optimus and the others. After a few seconds, I looked back at Barricade and nodded.

He may have smiled, but it was so quick I may have imagined it.

He transformed back to the black and silver striped Mustang GT that I had once thought was just a machine. I hesitated when he opened the door, but I steeled my nerves, wrapped my arms around myself, and got in.

At first I focused on getting situated and warm. When I was being blasted by warm air, I began to feel sleepy. I fought the urge, because I didn't want to fall asleep just yet. It seemed that I had been sleeping a lot lately.

I glanced out the window, and almost laughed at what I saw. The twins were throwing snow at each other, or, they were until Ratchet threw something at them. Sides pointed at Ratchet and yelled something.

I actually smiled. This was what they had done all those years ago, and they still were. I had missed them.

Then Optimus said something, and they all transformed and started towards the gate.

While the others went ahead, Ironhide went slowly. I started to tell Barricade to start driving or Ironhide would shoot at him, but he sped forward before I could say anything.

We drove ahead of Ironhide, and pulled out back onto the small dirt road. The Autobots were ahead of us, obviously waiting for us, and when we appeared behind them they sped up.

I sighed, not real sure what to say. So, I just stared at the moving white countryside. I wasn't so cold now, so I peeled off my damp hoodie and laid it on the passenger seat.

We passed a small house, and a man leaning against a snow shovel had his phone out, pointed at the twins. I guessed that he was taking a picture and saying, "Holy shit! Two freaking awesome Corvettes!"

Let's just say this. Im not questioning their choice of car. But I still like Mustangs.

Wow. I cant believe I just said that.

Sighing for what felt like the thousandth time that day, I looked at the steering wheel. It was steering it self. It was gonna take some time to get used to that.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Barricade spoke first saying two words that shocked me.

"Im sorry."

I didn't say anything at first. But then I _did _say something that sounded incredibly stupid.

"Huh?"

"Im sorry." He said again. "Im…..sorry that I lied to you. Im sorry I hurt you. Im sorry about everything."

He paused. "Nicole, I've lied about a lot of things my whole life. And I regret a lot of things, too. But loving you was not one of them. Just….please forgive me. Ill do anything. Just forgive me."

I just stared at the dashboard. That was….what sounded like an honest apology. It was everything I had wanted, and more. Much more.

So I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Decepticons don't apologize."

Barricade sounded offended. "1) Im not a Decepticon anymore. 2) This is a one time only thing. So, don't expect it later."

I smiled. This was the Barricade I knew. "Well, I forgive you." I hugged the steering wheel, which blared out. I laughed as I felt a vibrating start up. Then I leaned back.

"Besides, I couldn't stay mad at my tall, dark, and metal boyfriend." I heard a sound that could be described as laughing.

I yawned. "I know we just had our forgive and forget moment, but I seriously need a nap."

Without saying anything, he just lowered the seat in a laying position. I smiled and said thanks.

Laying down, I closed my eyes. I wanted to talk with Jazz. He had some questions to answer.

As I felt darkness closing in(it seemed that I could control when I could go to sleep), I muttered one last sentence to Barricade.

"I love you, 'Cade."

"I love you, too." I heard him as I fell into the land of sometimes not so sweet dreams.

I opened my eyes to see Jazz's smiling face.

I smiled and held my hand out to him. He reached down and pulled me up.

We were in the same room as before. I was tempted to call it the Library, since all the symbols around the room were basically books that you needed to touch to read.

Turning back to Jazz, I said "So, you ready to play a game of Question and Answer?"

"Do I get ta ask a question?"

"Nope."

"Huh. Why am I not surprised? Well, ask away."

I walked over to the wall and started to touch a symbol that looked like a square with a line through it, but I stopped. "I don't suppose you could tell me why every time I touch a freaky symbol I see visions, could you?"

He had a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?"

I sighed and grabbed his hand. "Watch this."

I moved his hand to the symbol, but as I got near it, it fluttered away. In fact, all the symbols around the spot where his hand spread out, like they thought he had a disease or something. It left a clear spot on the wall.

I dropped his hand and tilted my head, like I always did when trying to figure out a problem.

When his hand moved away, they all swarmed back across the spot again.

I gave the wall a hard glare, and stuck my hand up to it. Immediately all the symbols swarmed towards my hand. I pulled my hand back, afraid they might jump on me and eat me or something.

I looked at Jazz, and he had this look on his face that suggested that he was slightly freaked out.

I sighed and glared at the wall again. "Well, that is one thing you cant answer. But every time I touch a symbol, it like gives me a vision." I shook my head and leaned against the wall.

"Ok, new question. Can you explain all of this to me?"

Jazz glanced at me, then back to the wall, with a suspicious look on his face.

I glared at him. "Come on, you big pansy, answer the question and stop looking at the wall like its going to kill you."

He glared back at me. "I am _not _a pansy. Now, when ya mess with Sunstreaker's paint job…"

I gave an exaggerated sigh, and was about to complain about him not answering me, when a thought struck me. "How do you know about Sunny?"

Jazz looked sad for a moment. "Well, when I was alive-"

"Wait, _alive_? So your not my imagination?"

" 'Ave you _not _been payin' attention to what's been goin' on these past few hours? I don't think tha' me bein' here, a ghost ta explain everythin' to ya, is that strange."

I stared at him for a moment, then poked him in the chest. "Was this what you looked like when you were alive?"

"No. My alt mode was a Pontiac Solstice. My bi-pedal mode is hard to explain." He looked at the wall for a moment. Frowning, he walked over to the next wall. Then he smiled, and motioned for me to come over.

I did, wondering what I was supposed to see. He pointed to a symbol that looked like almost like the trademark logo for a Monster energy drink. "Touch that."

Shrugging mentally, I touched it.

A shock went through me, and I blinked.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a Pontiac Solstice. It was silver, and slick. Fitting Jazz's personality perfectly.

It was driving on a road that looked like it was in the desert. And I gasped at what I saw. It was following a semi-truck that looked like Optimus. Driving behind them, was a black Topkick and a neon yellow search and rescue truck. Obviously Ironhide and Ratchet.

Then, all of a sudden, a familiar yellow and black striped Camaro sped past. I was wondering why it was so familiar when Optimus did a U-turn without slowing down. What I assumed was Jazz, followed suit, as did Ironhide and Ratchet.

They all sped past me, without slowing down. But as the yellow and black striped Camaro drove past, I caught a glimpse of the driver.

Before I could react, the seen changed.

And it looked as though I was in a war zone.

I was in a city of some sort. In fact it almost looked familiar. I looked around.

People were everywhere. Most of them were fleeing(and screaming) civilians, but there was one group that wore camouflage and hand guns. Big guns.

Then four people stood out to me like a sore thumb.

The first two were just weird. Weird as in them being there. "_Lennox _and _Epps_?"

The two military officers who I also grew up knowing. Huh. Small world.

But the next two people were just…..I couldn't tell you how strange it was for them to be here.

Mom and Dad.

A younger version. Like when they were in high school. Both of them looked battered and bruised, and my dad was holding something that I'd never seen before, but oh did I know what it was.

The AllSpark. Aka, Cube.

I had to look away. I couldn't stand looking at them. The more I did the more I wanted to run up and hug them, but I knew that if I did I would pass through them.

So instead I looked around, anywhere but at my parents. And then I spotted Jazz.

Or, the transformed version of him. It was a silver robot with a blue visor, and he was shorter than the rest. 'The rest' being Ratchet, Ironhide, and a yellow and black-striped robot. Wait. Yellow and black-striped robot?

The Camaro.

My little discovery moment was interrupted by Ironhide. "It's Starscream!"

I looked up at the screaming sound of a jet. It looked almost identical to the jet from the field, without all the black tattoos.

Ironhide motioned for the others to get back. "Back up! Bumblebee, come here!"

The yellow robot ran over to him. They started to pick up the back of a delivery truck as the jet named Starscream turned around. Just as Bumblebee and Ironhide were bracing themselves, Starscream fired three missiles at them.

I watched as the missiles flew towards the truck, but as they struck the barrier, everything went black again.

When everything lightened up, I saw Jazz staring at me worriedly. "Are ya all right?"

I clutched my head, which was hurting badly. Then I glared at him. "Who is Bumblebee? And why the hell are my parents in a war zone with a transforming jet shooting at them?"

Hey yall. Sorry about the wait, but my dang computer stopped working for like 2 months. AGAIN, SOORRRYYYY!


	6. Sunny Digs Himself a Hole

Chapter 6: Sunny Digs Himself a Hole and I Throw Air Horns At People

Nicole POV

I glared at Jazz. "Well, Jazz? Can you answer one question with a straight answer?"

He looked a bit torn. "I never meant for you to see that…..Im sorry, Nicole.."

I held my hands up as I sensed another apology talk coming up. "Jazz. Stop. Im tired of being apologized to. Its time I heard some answers."

Jazz sighed. "Ok, well ya do deserve some answers."

"I think I deserve _all _of them, Jazz."

He smiled and shook his head. "I gotta leave somethin' for the others ta answer." He sighed. "So, where ta start?"

I thought for a moment. "Why were my parents there in that city, with all the Autobots?"

"That was Mission City. When we first came to Earth, we had to tract down your father to retrieve his great grandfather's glasses-"

"His _glasses_?"

"Let me finish. When Archibald Witwicky explored the Artic Circle, he found Megatron. Do ya now who that is?"

I nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, yes. Don't ask."

Jazz nodded. " 'K. Well, he accidentally activated his navigation system…"

Jazz went into a story of how they hunted my dad down. I stopped him when he mentioned that mech Bumblebee.

"Woah, woah, who's Bumblebee?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Weellll, I'd like ta leave tha' for the others to explain…."

"Jazz, you'd better answer me, before I force it out of you."

"No need for violence…"

"Get to the point Jazz."

He sighed. "Fine. Well, yer dad needed protection, so Bumblebee, who was a scout, became his guardian. They were best friends-"

Suddenly something in my brain clicked. "Bumblebee was my dad's Camaro, wasn't he?"

"Bingo."

I groaned. "And Im guessing that his holoform was who I called Uncle Bee when I was smaller?"

"Your catchin' on."

I groaned again and face-palmed. "Were all of my mom and dad's friends robots, Jazz?"

He looked thoughtful. "No. I mean, there was Maggie, Glen-"

"The computer analysts?"

"Yea, now let me finish my sentence 'fore ya interrupt me 'gain."

"Right, quiet. Sorry."

"Thank you. There was also Leo-"

"Chia pet?"

"Nicole, shut up."

I locked my lips and threw away the key.

Jazz nodded slowly, like he wasn't sure about me interrupting again. "Right. Well, then there was Simmons. And Lennox and Epps. I think that's about it."

I nodded slowly. "Im not sure Simmons counts, really, because he told me once that he was sticking around to make sure I didn't turn into an extortionist like my dad. Though, I think that may have been an excuse…"

Another thought hit me. "Jazz, is Bumblebee at the base, with the other Autobots?"

Jazz grimaced. "Look, Nicole, yer parents death hit him really hard-"

"Hit _him _hard? Jazz, where _is _he?"

He sighed. "After yer parents death, he sorta, I don't know…..ran away?"

"WHAT?"

"Look, he just drove off. Nobody knew where he went, an' I don't either."

I was about to say something about how stupid that was to say, since Jazz was dead, after all, when a fabulous question hit me in the face.

"Jazz, exactly how did you die?"

His face darkened, and I regretted asking. Then he sighed. "Megatron."

I paused. "Oh. Im sorry."

"Hey, don't worry 'bout it. Not yer fault."

I paused, as a dark question popped up.

"Hey, Jazz?"

He looked up at my almost-whispered words. "Somethin' wrong?"

I suddenly felt guilty. I looked away, but Jazz put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up. "What's wrong, baby girl?"

I was almost to afraid to say the words, like if I said them that it would make them real.

"Do you think Bumblebee left because of me? Do you think that he blamed me, for my parents death?"

Jazz had a surprised look on his face. "No, Nicole, he was just…upset. He doesn't blame you."

I didn't listen, because I myself believed that I was the reason they were dead. Now that I thought of it, I actually did blame myself.

I groaned. "Damn." I muttered. "Cant do anything right, can I?"

Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I sighed. "Well, Jazz, one more question before I go."

"Yea?"

"Did they bury you? Or whatever it is you Autobots do to honor your offlined?"

Jazz shook his head slowly. "No. Ratchet fixed my body, but I don't think they were able to work up the nerve ta bury me."

I nodded slowly, an idea slowly forming.

Jazz looked at me suspiciously. "Now, don't go do something' stupid. Ya hear me?"

I nodded, marking a cross on my heart. "I hear you, Jazz."

"Good."

I heard him all right. But did that mean I was gonna listen?

No. Listening isn't really one of my strong suits.

* * *

Nicole POV

When I woke up, I realized that:

1) We weren't moving.

2) I wasn't cold or wet.

3)There was loud music playing outside. Loud enough for me to hear it.

I looked at the clock, and was shocked. It was freaking 10:00 P.M! I had slept for…..I did the math in my head.

A little more than 15 hours.

Holy shit….. That was unnatural-

"Finally."

Barricade's voice made me jump. "Jeez, Barricade, don't scare me like that! You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry. You've just been asleep for 15 hours. I was getting worried, Ironhide was blaming me, and Ratchet kept wanting to scan you."

"Man, sounds like I missed a lot."

"You did. Ironhide kept telling me over a com link that once I wasn't looking, he'd shoot me."

"Don't worry about that. I talk to him. Sooner or later…."

"What?"

"Nothing. Where are we?"

"The apartment."

I looked outside at the three story apartment building I had shared with 'Cade and Taylor. That was when I realized where the music was coming from.

"Taylor threw a party again, didn't she?"

"Yeah."

"And where's Optimus and the others?"

"Inside."

I stared at the dashboard. "And what did they think they could accomplish by going inside?"

"Don't ask me. I told Prime it was a bad idea, but he said it couldn't be that bad."

"Well, he's never seen how many people Taylor invites to parties has he? For a country chick who donates to charities and helps out at the soup kitchen, she goes a bit over the top with parties. Parties and liquor."

I sighed. "Wish me luck, 'Cade." I said opening the door.

Barricade's hologram appeared beside me. "No need. I'm coming with you."

"In that case, you go in first." I walked towards the stairs, and started the climb to the third floor.

We reached our door and it was unlocked, so I went ahead and opened it. I pulled Cade back as a man that lived a few doors down ran past me with his hands on his mouth.

I shook my head as he leaned over the rail and threw up. "Man, I really hope the floor is clean."

I walked inside, and I swear my eardrums burst. The music was freaking loud, so loud that I could barely hear an air horn some idiot was blowing over the noise. The lights were turned off with the exception of a small multicolored disco ball that was some how now attached to the ceiling.

Our already small apartment was now so packed, I doubted that another person could fit in it. Barricade must've realized this because he muttered, "I'll go give the key back to the manager and pay the remaining rent off." He started backing out of the door.

"Deserter!" I yelled at him, and I swear he smirked as he walked down the stairs.

I took a deep breath and walked in…..

Just as I saw Sideswipe get pushed past me. He waved at me, smiling.

I glared, and continued on my mission to find Taylor.

I tried heading to the small kitchen first, hence the word 'tried'. People pushed this way and that, and by the time I stopped, I was in the area where we kept the washer and dryer.

Something was banging around in the dryer, and two people were sitting on the washer, making out. Two very familiar people.

I looked closer. "Taylor! SUNNY!"

I pulled Taylor back, then smacked Sunny upside the head. "You dolt! You were supposed to come in here to get her, not make out with out her!"

Sunny rubbed his hologram's head, wincing. "You know, these holograms feel pain."

"Well, too freakin' bad! You deserved it. For God's sake, Sunny! My best friend! She's not even the same species!"

"Neither is Barricade."

"Shut it." I dug my nails in his shoulder and grabbed Taylor's arm.

Her light blue eyes were bloodshot and her freckles stood out against her red face. The usually wavy dark blonde hair was now sticking out in all directions(literally, there was something in it making it stick up).

Taylor watched the whole little me-smacking-Sunny-in-the-head with a faraway look in her eyes. She acted like she wasn't all there.

Her eyes swiveled to me and she smiled. "Hey, Nicole. How was your trip in Germany?"

Definitely not all there.

I started to drag Taylor and Sunny away to find the others, when I remembered the banging in the dryer.

Turning around, I opened the dryer carefully. It wasn't on, but who knew what could be in there.

The second I cracked the door open, something screeched and jumped at me, thus making me scream.

I got the gray and white mass under control, and looked it in the smudged up face.

Spice.

Her green eyes were wide, and she looked like, well, like she had been in the dryer. I kissed her nose and she mewled at me. "Finally, someone sane." I muttered.

I stuck her under my arm and grabbed Sunny's ear. "Come on, Sunshine, we're going to go rescue the others. And find out who stuck my cat in the dryer."

He literally growled at me. I think it was because of the Sunshine name.

I pushed people out of my way, all the way to the small stereo system. I unplugged it and handed the cord to Sunny as people complained. "Guard it with your life. And you might have to."

Then I walked a few feet away from him, and shouted, "Hey, look! The blonde haired dude by the stereo unplugged it!"

I'm pretty sure every head turned towards Sunny. Once they all processed what I said, they started shouting and surging towards him.

I saw Sunny's face, and laughed. He saw me and glared. 'Payback' I mouthed to him.

'I'm going to kill you' he mouthed back.

"I'd like to see you try! If you survive!" I shouted out loud. I turned my back on him and pulled Taylor to the coffee table.

A few people were dancing on it, and one of them had a blow horn. I pushed them all off and grabbed the horn out of the guy's hand.

Standing on the table, I whistled. When no one looked, I blew the horn until it ran out. They all shut up and looked at me.

I held up Spice. "What idiot put this cat in the dryer?"

A dude in the back raised his hand. "I did!"

I threw the horn at him and hit him on the forehead.

When I had their attention again, I said, "Okay, would the following please get up here: Optimus, Ironhide, Sides, Arcee, Ratchet! And Sunny if your still alive." I said after a moment of debating. "And the rest of you get out of here!"

Slowly, said Autobots made their way to the table. Sunny had a few drinks spilt on his shirt(actually, a lot), and Sideswipe was trying to pry some girls hand off his shirt. But the others looked like they had been smart enough stay out of other people's ways.

"What happened to him?" Optimus asked, looking down at the guy I had threw the horn at.

Sunny snorted. "Nicole went physco on him."

"Shut up, Sunny. Don't dig your hole any deeper." I looked around for Ratchet. "Where'd Ratchet go?"

Ironhide grunted. "He was smart enough to stay outside. Is this always what it's like here? And good throw."

I jumped down and smiled. "Thanks. Now, let me go grab some clothes, and then we'll leave."

As I walked away from them through the now clear(and dirty) room, I heard Sides ask "What hole?"

Sunny smacked him on the head.

* * *

I huffed my way out of my room. Every piece of clothing of mine and Taylor's was gone. And I mean _every_ piece. Perverted thieves…

I walked into a empty room. Apparently they left me.

Then I heard the voices outside the door. Or maybe not.

Spice followed me as I open the door and walked onto the front balcony. Sunny was sitting on a bench beside the door, holding a complaining Taylor. Sides was a good five feet away, while Ironhide and Optimus were looking over the rail. Talking to Ratchet I guess.

Sunny looked at me and held out Taylor. "Here, take her. She keeps trying to run off." He smiled. "Oh, and she slapped Sideswipe."

Said Autobot frowned. "I was only trying to help her. That's twice I've been smacked on the head tonight. "

I tried not to laugh. "Suck it up, Sides. You're an Autobot. Im sure you've dealt with more threatening things than a drunk country chic."

Taylor glared at me. "Nicole, I am not drunk."

Oh this was gonna be good. "Well, Miss. Alcoholic, can you walk in a straight line?"

"Of course." She sounded like she was getting sober.

But then she placed one foot in front of the other, and tried to put the next one in front of the first one. She missed the invisible line by a few inches.

She giggled as she toppled into me. "See, perfectly straight."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Now why don't you go with the boy you were kissing? We're going to take a trip for a while, kay?"

"Where?"

"To a military base with giant robots that transform into cars. Now go with him." I pushed her towards Sunstreaker.

He glared at me. "Why did you just tell her about us? And why'd you give her to me?"

"Because, you kissed her, to answer your second question. Your punishment."

"She kissed me first! And what's wrong with that?"

"Oh, Sunny. Dear, dear Sunny. I cannot even tell you how wrong that was."

"But what about you and Barricade?"

I paused for a moment. He pointed his finger at me. "See! Ha! You cant beat that."

I grinned at him. "No, I cant. But what I can do, is answer your first question. Taylor, while she is drunk, wont remember anything that happened while she was drunk. Which means she wont remember what I said about you…"

"Or the kiss." Sides finished for me.

"Exactly. Congrats, you win smartest twin of the day award." Sunny glared, but I continued. "The only way she will know it ever happened is if Sides, me, or you, Sunny, tells her."

Sideswipe grinned. "Perfect blackmail material."

Sunny groaned and sat on the bench beside a now snoring Taylor. "Why me?"

I patted his head and started towards the stairs. "Because, you taught me well. And I love pressing your buttons. But don't worry. I'll get Sides one day, and then both of you in the next."

Just as I was halfway down the steps, I turned and ran back quickly. "Where's my cat?"

The elevator doors were closing, but I could see Spice sitting in there with Sunny and Sides(holding a snoring Taylor) for the trip down to the ground.

"Lazy cat." I muttered.

Optimus and Ironhide had already made their way down(though they could have just turned off their holograms). As expected, Ironhide was arguing with Barricade.

I tuned them out and went to the elevator just as the door opened. Spice ran out and rubbed against my legs, meowing. I looked down at her. "Oh, sure, when your hungry you need me, but desert me if you have to walk down stairs. God knows you need the exercise."

"I hate you." I heard Sunny say as he carried Taylor bridle style out of the elevator.

I leaned down to pet Spice. "Trust me. You'll be doing that more often now."

The bickering stopped, and I looked up to see what had made them stop. Barricade, Ironhide, Optimus, Ratchet, and Arcee were staring at Sunny. I snorted. They'd be doing that a lot more now that Taylor would be here.

With Sunny.

I walked over to Optimus. "So, now I'm ready."

He looked confused. "Where's your clothes?"

"Some idiot took them. I guess that means Taylor gets to go shopping…. Damn, I am _not _looking forward to that. Come on, 'Cade."

I started walking towards Barricade as they turned their holograms off. Sunny was the last, since he had to put Taylor in the passenger seat. I almost felt bad for blackmailing Sunny, until I saw how _gently _he was handling her. That, and the small smile on his face. God, what had I started?

Getting the driver's seat, I yelled to Optimus, "We'll follow you !"

As we pulled out, I heard a laugh in my head. It was a bit unsettling…

'_That was…entertaining.'_

'_Oh, come on, Jazz. Now you show up. Good choice of timing. Where were you when I was looking for them?'_

'_Watchin' the show through yer eyes.'_

"Jerk." I muttered out loud.

"What?" Barricade asked.

"Nothing, 'Cade. Nothing. Just thinking of some idiot who I asked for help from in the party. He's being a jerk."

'_Hey, now, you coulda just used the AllSpark ta locate their signatures.'_

'_What? You know what powers the AllSpark gave me?'_

'_Well, not all of 'em…'_

"Frag you, Jazz! Why cant you give me a straight answer-" I realized I was talking out loud. Shit, shit, shit.

"What? What are you talking about, Nicole?" Barricade asked. He sounded like he was a bit worried. I would too if he started talking to himself…

'_Real fragging great, Nicole.'_

'_Shut it. What do I tell him?'_

'_I don't know. You dug this hole yerself.'_

'_You helped. I guess…I'll tell him the truth.'_

'_That yer goin' crazy, or yer just talkin' to an alternate ego?'_

'_The _real_ truth, Jazz. And how'd you come up with that?'_

No answer.

Well, here goes nothing….

Barricade POV

Nicole didn't say anything as she got in.

I redirected my attention to following the Autobots. So when I was going over a bridge, I was surprised to hear her mutter 'Jerk.'

I thought she meant me, and I asked "What?"

She looked surprised for a second, then said "Nothing, 'Cade. Nothing. Just thinking of some idiot who I asked for help from in the party. He's being a jerk."

'He's_being_ a jerk?' She made it sound like the human she was talking about was right here…

I was going to watch her for a while. Just to make sure she's okay.

"Frag you, Jazz! Why cant you give me a straight answer-" she stopped as a horrified expression came to her face.

I almost stopped at her expression. "What? What's wrong, Nicole?"

She seemed a bit distracted. She bit her lip like she was trying to decide wether to tell me or not.

The she sighed. "Okay, Barricade. I'll tell you. But you gotta promise not to tell anyone. Alright?"

I was really worried now, but I agreed. So she started telling me how there was a mech named Jazz in her head.

Jazz. The dead lieutenant of Optimus Prime.

I almost didn't believe her, but considering how things have been lately…

She had stopped a few minutes ago, and I had spent that time thinking about what this meant now.

"Okay, let's see if this is right. You fell asleep, and in your dreams, you met Jazz. And when you woke up, he was in your head, and you could hear him. And you can talk to him."

She nodded. "That's pretty much it."

"Proof. Give me proof."

She started to open her mouth, but then her eyes turned into a bright blue, instead of hazel, and she gasped.

Suddenly, in a flash of blue light, the human that pulled Nicole from the river appeared in my passenger seat.

He smiled and waved at the dash board, where I was watching everything from. "What's up, Barricade?"

I set the brakes, and Nicole jerked forward in her seat belt, hitting her head on the steering wheel. She yelped, while the other human just frowned.

"Better keep going, Barricade, or the others will get suspicious."

A bit unsure, I started going again. "Who the frag are you?" I growled.

He flickered, like when a hologram is glitching. So he was a hologram. But what was he using to project it?

The human frowned. "This wont last very long, so I better hurry. Little heads up, Nicole, you'll be tired after this."

She poked her forehead and groaned. "I would've liked a heads up from Barricade before he busted my head open on the steering wheel." She said glaring at the dashboard.

"Sorry." Frag, there I go again. Apologizing. I may not be a Decepticon any more, but that doesn't mean I want to be completely nice.

Nicole noticed this, too. "Awww, thank you. 'Cade." She leaned forward and kissed me on the steering wheel, and warmth spread through me.

The other human rolled his eyes. "Sorry ta ruin the moment, but I gotta explain fast, because Nicole's AllSpark energy is runnin' out."

Nicole stared at him. "Your using me?"

"Is that why her eyes are blue?" I asked.

"My eyes are blue?" she asked looking in the side mirror.

The human nodded. "Listen, I cant explain it all now, but Barricade, surely you remember the lieutenant of Optimus Prime? Ya know, before we all landed on Earth?"

"Yes. Jazz."

"Right. Well, that's me. _This_," he said tugging at the shirt he was wearing, "is my hologram."

I thought for a moment. "Oh." Was all I could really say.

He flickered again, twice. "I gotta go. I'll end up drainin' Nicole's energy."

Nicole slapped him on the back of the head. "Idiot! Warn me next time!"

He smiled. "Take care of her, Barricade. Keep 'er outta trouble."

He disappeared as she aimed another slap at his head. She went limp, and when she didn't move, I activated my hologram and shook her shoulder.

She looked at me and glared. "What?" Then she slumped down even more. "Damn, Jazz wasn't kidding when he said it would be draining…"

"Do you want something to eat?"

She looked at the clock. "What's open around here at 11:00 PM?"

"McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell…"

She sighed. "McDonald's, I guess. Better get Taylor something for when she wakes up. But Ratchet will probably give me hell about it…."

Me: Hello, peoplez! So, I went and did what I hope was a funny and good chap.

Abusive me: It stunk.

Me: Shut it. No one wants your opinion.

Nice me: I do!

Me: No one cares about your opinion either, pansy. So, review people.

Abusive me: Or don't.

Me: SHUT UP! *throws sharp object at Abusive me* DO review!


	7. Ratchet Goes On A Rampage

Chapter 7: Taylor Faints And Ratchet Goes On A Rampage

Nicole POV

I blew my hair out of my eyes. For the fifth time. They fell back in place. I sighed. " 'Cade, I'm bored."

A staticky sigh came through the dashboard. "That's the fourth time you've said that in the past 15 minutes."

"But I really am bored!"

"Well, do something to entertain yourself."

"Like what?"

"How should I know? Do something that you and Taylor do in the car when you get bored."

A light bulb went on in my head. "Hey, do you think Taylor is awake now? I mean, it's been two hours since the party and you know when she gets drunk that she doesn't sleep long. She always said that alcohol wont affect her since she's a country hick. Whatever that means…"

I looked at the gold Corvette in front of us. Said Corvette swerved. And swerved again. And again.

"Hey, what do you think's wrong with Sunny?" I asked, as if it was the simplest question ever.

"I don't know-" a crackling sound cut Barricade off.

"Hey, Nicole… She's, um, awake. And trying to-ow-bash the window-ow-out."

I snorted. "Pull over. I want to see this."Sunny and Sides pulled over, but others went on ahead. Barricade slowed, stopping just in front of Sideswipe.

I got out and 'Cade activated his holoform to follow me. Sunstreaker's door opened, and an angry Taylor jumped out.

"What the freakin' hell? God, I'm goin' crazy! A car that drives it self…Maybe I'm dreaming…Yeah, that's it. I'm dreamin'."

She looked around and saw me. "Oh, hey Nicole. Good to see a familiar friend in this stupid dream."

Sunny's holoform popped into existence. Taylor yelped and jumped behind 'Cade's holoform. Then she said, "Oh, hey Cade."

I stared at the space where Taylor _had_ been. "This is gonna be harder than I thought it would…"

'_You bet it will.'_

"Not helping, Jazz." I muttered under my breath. Sides, Sunny, and Barricade looked at me, but only the twins looked confused.

I sighed and glared at Sunny. "So you didn't turn your holoform on?"

"_I_ didn't think I needed to."

"That's just it, you smart-aft. You _didn't _think."

I grabbed Taylor's arm and turned her so she faced me. "So, Taylor, how do you feel?"

She tilted her head and put on her cute country thinking face. "Ummm… My head hurts, and my tummy feels queasy. I feel a bit confused as to why I'm dreamin' 'bout a car that drives itself. Nice car by the way." She blinked. "And I feel stupid talkin' to a Dream-Nicole."

I sighed. "Trust me, Taylor. This is not a dream. It is all very real."

"But a car driving itself is impossible." Then she giggled. "You sound so negative. Just like the real Nicole."

I glared at her. "I do not sound negative!" I shouted. Then I looked at the twins and Barricade. "Do I?"

All three of them nodded. I gave them the death glare.

Taylor giggled again. "That's just what the real Nicole would say, Dream-Nicole."

"This is not a dream!"

"Whatever you say, Dream-Nicole."

I face-palmed. "Don't you get it? This. Is. Not. A. Dream. You. Idiot!"

She frowned. "Shame on you, Dream-Nicole. You and that awful temper of yours. Just like the real Nicole. You get angry and reserve to name-calling. I had hoped that in my dream you would be a bit nicer."

I growled and felt my hands clench into fists. " 'Cade. Grab me before I kill her."

I felt his holoform's arm slide around my shoulder and lead me to his alt mode. The door opened. "Just get in. You can explain it all to her the rest of the way."

I snorted as I sat down. "Thirty minutes is too short to explain all of it."

He sighed. "I'll go get her."

The door shut and things were a bit quieter than they had been on the side of the road. Spice crawled into my lap and meowed. I kissed her small head and sighed.

'_Well, look on the bright side. Ya wont be bored anymore.'_

'_Shut up, Jazz.'_

The passenger door opened and Taylor got in. I glared at her as she buckled up.

As we pulled back on the road, Taylor looked at me. After a few moments, she said, "Stop glaring at me."

"I will when you believe that this isn't a dream."

She glared back at me.

I sighed. "Well, Taylor, whether you believe me or not, listen. I'm not going to repeat myself twice."

She gave me a questioning look. Then her face lit up, like she had just realized something. "Where's Cade?"

I sighed again. "Phase one of the explanation…..Barricade lock the doors. Taylor, meet the new, metal, alien Barricade."

Like I told him to, Barricade locked the doors. But he didn't say anything.

I tapped the dashboard. "Earth to Barricade. Anyone home?"

Barricade's voice boomed from the radio. "Well, what do you want me to say?"

Taylor shrieked, but I was too busy glaring at the dashboard. "Uh, I don't know, how about 'Hey, Taylor, I know you thought I was human but I'm really a transforming robot from space'?"

"I'm too busy driving. You explain it to her."

"WHAT? Barricade, what a lame excuse! Driving is practically programmed into your processor! It hardly takes any effort." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Never mind. I'll do it all myself."

I sighed and looked at Taylor. Or, at the place she had been. The passenger seat was empty, since Taylor had jumped in the back. "Taylor, get your butt in the passenger seat. Barricade wont eat you."

Slowly(oh so ever slowly) she stepped in the front seat and sat down.

"Ok, Taylor, let's just pretend for a moment, that this is not a dream. And that aliens exist…" and so began my oh so long story.

25 minutes and several questions later….

"Got all that?"

Taylor nodded with a dazed look on her face. "I think so. And I don't think this is a dream anymore."

I smiled. "Good. Oh and by the way, do you remember the party?"

"Sort of. There was this boy… and I think we kissed. Did we? Were you there?"

Damn. There goes my blackmail material.

Suddenly Barricade slowed down. I looked outside. Desert surrounded us for miles. Up ahead, there was a large gray building, with a few more similar buildings surrounding it. There was a radio tower, and a runway.

The Autobots pulled up to the checkpoint(or whatever you call that small gray station thing) and went right through. Optimus must've sent them a message explaining why Barricade was here, because we went through( but not without a cold look from the guard first).

The hangar opened, and the Autobots drove in. Barricade slowed, like he wasn't sure what to do, so I got out and Taylor did, too.

I heard that whirring of gears sound, and Barricade transformed with Taylor watching in awe.

When he was fully transformed and standing up, he looked down at Taylor.

Her mouth was open, and her eyes were huge. She looked at me. "You know how I said I didn't think this was a dream anymore? I changed my mind. This is a dream." She looked at Barricade, then backed to me. She was white. "I think I'm gonna faint now."

Just as she began to fall backwards, Sunny's holoform was there to catch her.

I stared at him. He glared at me. "What?"

I snorted. "How very chivalrous of you. Careful Sunny. She remembers your holoform. Don't let her see it-"

I was cut off by a loud whistle. Suddenly, Humvees with big guns and soldiers raced out of the hangar. They made a circle around us and aimed.

At Barricade.

Without thinking, I ran towards the nearest armed vehicle. "What the hell are you doing? He's harmless! Lower your weapons!"

A man in uniform came out of a car. "Ma'am, we are trying to ensure your safety. Calm down, and come with us-"

I slapped his hands away. "Don't 'ma'am' me, you idiot! He is not going to attack anyone! He's with me!"

"General Morshower." I heard Optimus' deep baritone voice. "Barricade is not here as a prisoner. He is here to explain how he came to know Nicole."

I glared at Morshower. He looked unsure about whether or not to tell them to lower their guns.

He sighed. "All right men. Lower your arms."

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. I looked back at Barricade. He looked tense, like he was in a defensive position.

I walked slowly back to him. I patted his leg. He looked down at me.

"Hey. It's gonna be alright." I said softly.

He grunted. "I hope so."

I sighed and glanced around. Sunny and Sides were standing off to the side, watching the Humvees drive back into a separate hangar. Sunny was still holding an unconscious Taylor.

It bothered me to see Taylor so…so….lifeless.

I shuddered.

I turned towards Ratchet, who was talking to Ironhide and Optimus. "Hey, Ratch, don't you have like a med bay?"

He sighed. "What did you do to hurt yourself now?"

"Why do people always assume that _I _hurt myself? But no, I want you to look at Taylor."

"Alright. Come on."

He opened his servo. Instead of walking over to him, I teleported into his servo in a small flash of blue light.

He looked slightly startled, but a bit curious also. "I want to run some tests on you, Nicole. It's strange that a human is able to yield the power of the AllSpark."

I fingered the shard thoughtfully. _'Jazz?'_

'_Yeah?'_

'_You never told me what powers the AllSpark granted me.'_

I heard him sigh. _'I'll tell ya later.'_

I sighed, irritated. _'Fine.'_

Looking around, I realized that Ratchet had started walking. I was surprised at how many Autobots lived at the base. What was even more weird, was that I knew all their names.

They gave us weird looks. Or, I guess they gave _me _weird looks.

Ratchet explained to me where all the rooms were.

We passed a room that said:

WHEELJACK'S LAB

CAUTION: EXPERIMENTS IN PROGRESS

Then written below that in Sharpie(must've been a really big Sharpie), it said:

WARNING-EXPLOSIONS MAY OCCUR AT RANDOM TIMES

I opened my mouth to ask about it, but a loud explosion, followed by a small earthquake cut me off. Said explosion came from the lab.

I looked at Ratchet. He had this look on his face that said he had dealt with this a million times before.

The door to the lab opened and a cloud of smoke billowed out. A tall, soot-covered figure stepped out.

The black figure saw us. "Oh, uh… Hello, Ratchet."

Ratchet sighed. "Hello, Wheeljack. What did you blow up now?"

Wheeljack shook his helm, shaking soot everywhere. "I was trying to create a transwarping device."

"And what did you use to test it?"

"Myself."

"Well, then how the Pit did it make that big an explosion?"

"It…overheated."

"Exploded would be a better term."

"Alright, it exploded."

Ratchet face-palmed. "Oh, Wheeljack…"

I spoke up. "Isn't transwarping the same as teleporting?"

Wheeljack nodded. "Why?"

"Because I can transwarp, too."

"A human transwarping? I'll believe it when I see it with my own optics."

I snorted. "Prepare to believe it."

I looked for a suitable place to transwarp. Spotting a clear spot on the floor(it wouldn't be fun to get squished on my first day here), I willed myself to appear there. I went weightless again, and dropped on the floor.

Looking up at Wheeljack, I grinned. "I told you so."

He was staring at me curiously. A few other Autobots had seen it, and they were wide-opticed.

Wheeljack knelt down to see me better. "I never caught your name, girl."

"Nicole Witwicky."

He nodded. "Sam and Mikaela's youngling…" he said thoughtfully.

"That's me." I muttered.

Wheeljack smiled. "It was very nice to meet you, Nicole. Maybe if you stop by the lab sometime…"

Ratchet laughed. "If you think I'm letting you run tests on her, Wheeljack, then your wrong."

Wheeljack put on a fake hurt look. "I was only going to say we could talk sometime."

"Sure you were. Come on, Nicole."

I transwarped(yay, new word) onto Ratchet's shoulder. Sitting down, I waved at Wheeljack as we walked away.

"Promise me one thing, Nicole." Ratchet said.

"What's that?"

"That you wont go in there while he's doing an experiment."

I laughed. "Ratchet, that is something I cant promise you. I like big explosions. And firecrackers. Yeah. Explosions and firecrackers."

I thought I heard Ratchet mutter something that sounded like 'Primus, what will we do with you….'.

Though that could just have been my imagination.

But I doubt it.

* * *

Ratchet opened the door to his Med Bay. It was a really big door, with a smaller human-sized door beside it. We walked in during what I guess had been a debate between a red and white mech known as Red Alert, and a black and white mech named Prowl.

They looked up for about two seconds, then looked back at each other and began to argue again.

Ratchet sighed and walked over to a giant silver table. Taylor was still unconscious, laying on the table.

I jumped down from Ratchet's shoulder. He gave me an irritated look. "Are you trying to offline yourself?"

I held up my hands. "That was a 7 foot drop, Ratchet. I don't think that's gonna kill me."

"Ten feet."

"Seven. Look, can you just examine Taylor? I'm going to go find Barricade before Ironhide blows him up."

Ratchet shook his head and pulled a chair closer to Taylor. After a few moments, he looked at me. "Do you really love him, Nicole?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course. Other wise I would have said blast him to pieces." I winced. "Forget I just said that."

Ratchet smiled a small smile. "It's just so unusual. An ex-Decepticon falling in love with a human….Are you sure your love is real?"

I glared at Ratchet. "Ratchet, let's drop it. I. Love. Barricade. It's as simple as that."

Ratchet grunted. "Fine. But one more question…"

I groaned.

"….Why do you want me to examine Taylor?"

"Oh. Wellllll….I'm not real sure. But just seeing her so lifeless…..It bothered me."

"It's nice to know that you care for your friends. But there is nothing wrong with her, unless you count the calories and sugar she consumed with that fast-food you call McDonald's."

"What do you have against McDonald's?"

"The food is unhealthy for your fragile human bodies."

"Ratchet, I am nearly invincible. Do you know how I first met Barricade? Don't tell Ironhide this, but Barricade hit me when I was crossing the road. I was sixteen."

I swear Ratchet's face went red for a few seconds.

"He WHAT?" He grabbed a wrench off the table and started towards the door.

Oops…

I transwarped to the ground right beside Red Alert. The last thing I expected him to do was scream. I swear one of my eardrums popped…Prowl, on the other hand, just looked startled.

"Wait, Ratchet! Wait! I-uh-didn't mean it! He never ran over me! I promise…" I stopped as the door slammed shut.

I face-palmed. _'Jazz, did I just sign a death wish for Barricade?'_

He snorted._ 'Depends. If Ratchet is just mad, he'll just throw a wrench at 'im and cuss at 'im in Cybertronian.'_

I thought of how Ratchet's face went red. _'What if he's really mad?'_

'_Then ol' Ratch'll try ta take him apart.' _He said in a cheery tone.

"I hope Barricade can run fast. But in the mean time, I'm gonna try and stop Ratchet before he, well, you know…breaks something…or someone…I better get going."

I transwarped on the other side of the door(I'm not lazy, it's just faster). For the first time, I got a little dizzy. _'Must be running low on energy…'_

I started searching for signs of where Ratchet had gone. It wasn't that hard. There was a path of Autobots on the floor, probably wondering what idiot had been stupid enough to piss Ratchet off. Said idiot winced.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me on their shoulder. I shrieked(how very girly…ugh..) and heard someone laugh as I was slung on their shoulder.

"Let go of me you freak!" I shouted, squirming.

I heard more laughing and a familiar face came into my line of sight. "Dang girl, you've grown a lot…"

"_Epps_?"

The dark-skinned soldier grinned. "The one and only. Nice ta know ya still remember me."

"So who is holding me-" I stopped in mid-sentence and slapped the head of my captor. "Put me down, Will Lennox, or I'll transwarp you so far from here you wont know how to get back."

The brown-haired soldier put me down with a smile. "Still as headstrong as ever. And what do you mean by transwarp? Isn't that the 'bots term for teleporting?"I snorted and dusted my self off. "Well, ever since my dad gave me this necklace, it's become a human term, too."

They gave me confused looks.

I sighed with a smile. "I'll explain it later." Then I remembered what I had originally been doing. I groaned. "Shit. Hey, would you happen to know where they took Barricade, the ex-Decepticon that's come to the base?"

Lennox pointed to the door that led outside. "Yeah, they took him to the interrogation room."

I closed my eyes. "What does it look like?"

Epps shrugged. "Like your basic interrogation room, only bigger. Metal table, metal chairs, really big one-way mirror."

I hoped the picture-in-my-head method would work. "Ok, you guys. Do either of you get sea-sick?"

Without waiting for an answer, I grabbed both of their arms and transwarped to the interrogation room.

I opened my eyes and landed on my feet as we popped in the room. Again, I felt a little dizzy.

I heard a groan from the floor. Lennox and Epps were both on their backs on the ground.

Lennox opened one eye. "I get what you mean now. But no more random transwarping anymore, OK?"

I shrugged.

Epps groaned again. "That was not cool, man…"

After helping them up, I discovered that this was not the interrogation room. It was actually an old storage room. There was this big table in the middle, but it was too high to see what was on it.

I pointed to the top. "What's up there?"

Lennox and Epps looked uncomfortable. "When the Autobots first came here, the first battle they had with Megatron included a casualty…"

I was looking at the table now, because I knew what was up there. "Jazz…"

I heard Epps ask what I had said, but I was too busy caught up in my own thoughts.

I transwarped onto the table, landing and making a small cloud around my feet where I had landed in dust. No one had been in here for awhile.

I faintly heard Epps and Lennox calling my name, but I was in awe of what I saw.

Jazz's body lay in front of me.

I ran my hand over the dusty shell that had been Jazz's bi-pedal mode. Underneath the dust bunnies, was a bright silver paint job, just like in the vision I had had.

I climbed on top of Jazz's body and wiped away the dust on the dull blue visor. _'Once your alive again, Jazz, I bet your visor will be a bright blue-'_

'_Woah, hold up. Alive? Again?'_

I bit my lip. _'Oops…I wasn't supposed to say that…'_

Jazz was silent for a moment. _'And ya could really do this?'_

'_What is that I hear in your voice? Hope? Yeah, I could do it. If I save up a lot of energy and focus on not draining my life force.'_

I could practically picture Jazz shaking his head. _'No. It's not right. I'm dead. Ya can bring me back from the Matrix.'_

'_You said it yourself, Jazz. You're a ghost. Ghosts don't pass on.'_

'_No. I forbid ya to do it.'_

'_And just how do you plan on doing this? I'd like to hear your wonderful plan.'_

'_Uhhh…'_

'_Ha! I knew it! Be ready to be alive in a few days, Jazz.'_

I stood up and dusted myself off. I looked over the edge. Lennox and Epps stared up at me.

"Are ya done disturbing the dead?" Epps asked crossing his arms.

I ignored him and looked at the ground. The table was maybe 9 feet up from the floor. An easy jump for someone who's body has been enhanced by alien technology to withstand major injuries….

Wow. That made even me sound smart.

Taking a few steps back, I took a deep breath. "Watch out below!" I shouted as I launched myself over the heads of two gaping soldiers.

I flew through the air, and just as I was about to hit the ground, I put my hands out and did a front flip.

I stood up straight. "I've always wanted to do that."

Turning around, I said, "Are you ready to go?"

They stared at me. Lennox shook his head. "I honestly wonder if bringing you to a base full of weapons was a good idea."

I started to roll my eyes, but I stopped in mid-roll and smiled. "Do you think I could get a gun?"

"No!" They shouted at the same time.

I threw my arms up. "How come everybody thinks I can't handle a weapon? I can control my AllSpark powers!"

Lennox smirked. "I have a feeling that transwarping isn't the only thing you can do, is it?"

I scowled. "Well, I think I _do_ have more powers, but _someone _wont tell me what they are."They looked at me, then at each other, then back to me.

I glared at them. "What?"

'_Ya better get used ta that, 'cause if you don't shut your loose cannon of a mouth people will start to think the AllSpark power is messin' with yer mind.'_

'_My mouth a loose cannon? Go talk to Ironhide, and tell me what you think then!'_

A light bulb went on in my head. "I'll just go ask Ironhide for a gun!"

I pretended not to notice the worried looks on their faces. "So, where is the interrogation room again?"

Epps pointed to the door. "It's just a few rooms down-"

That was all I needed to know, so I grabbed their arms. "Try to land on your feet this time, OK?"

We were gone in a flash of blue light.

* * *

"Starscream, get in here!"

Said SIC cursed in his native language. He had hoped that Soundwave would tell Megatron and Megatron would vent his anger on the fraggin' walking computer.

He sighed and slowly opened the door incase any sharp objects were thrown at the door.

Starscream bowed before looking at his leader. "What have I done to upset you _now_, Lord Megatron?" he asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

Suddenly a servo wrapped Starscream's neck, crushing precious wires and a few energon lines. His pedes dangled a few feet from the ground as he clawed at the servo choking him.

Megatron's eyes were a blazing red. "Once again, you have failed me! I cannot rely on you to kill a traitor and simply capture a measly fleshling! You are worthless!"

"But, Lord Megatron-there were Autobots! We were outnumbered-" he stopped and screamed as Megatron sunk his claws into the delicate wings on the Seeker's back.

"Excuses!" The Decepticon Leader threw Starscream to the ground as another mech walked in.

"Lord Megatron." Soundwave's monotone voice echoed through the throne room.

"What do you want, Soundwave?" Megatron asked, stepping over a panting Starscream to his throne.

"Located: Autobot scout. Designation: Bumblebee."

Megatron looked up. "The fragging guardian of that flesh bag I killed?" He smiled as he remembered the look on the girls face as she watched her creators die at the hand of Megatron. "The one who disappeared off the face of this organic planet?"

"Answer: Yes. Query: Do you wish to intercept and terminate?"

Megatron almost said yes, but a plan formed quickly in his processor. He smiled. If Soundwave could have, he would have grimaced, but that would have been an display of emotion.

"No, Soundwave. Let him reach the Autobot base. Then, when the time is right, we will kill the Autoscum. The Autobots and girl will let their guard down in their grief. Then. Then we will take the Host of the AllSpark. Using the method you devised, we will drain the AllSpark power from her."

Megatron smiled at his own plan. "And once we have that power, we will take the power and kill that fragging traitor and everyone the Host cares about." He laughed, but there was nothing joyful about it.

Starscream listened to every word.

Me: Hey you guys! I hoped you liked this chapter! I put in a lot of work and time(sleep time) into this.

Liar Me: No you didn't.

Me: What! Yes, I did.

Liar Me: No, you didn't.

Me: What are you talking about? YES, I did!

Liar Me: That's what I said.

Abusive Me: Your really annoying.

Me: For once, I agree with you.

Liar Me: No you don't.

Me: *throws something at Liar Me*

Abusive Me: *throws something at Nice Me for no reason and knocks her out*

Me: Why'd you do that?

Abusive Me: You got to throw something at an annoying person, so I threw something at the other annoying person in the room.

Me: Wow. Just…wow.


	8. A Destiny I Didnt Ask For

Chapter 8:

Nicole POV

I helped Lennox and Epps to their feet(again). "I told you to land on your feet."

"I would've liked a warning better." Epps said rubbing the back of his head.

I shrugged. "Well, Ratchet is about to kill my mechfriend, so I'm in a hurry."

I looked at the big doors that lined the hallway. It was easy to tell which one was the interrogation room, because they all had little signs on them. Only an idiot wouldnt be able to tell which was which.

That, and the fact that one of the doors was ajar and you could hear yelling from within it.

Ratchet must've gotten here quick.

I started to run towards it, but a hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. Lennox looked confused. "Mechfriend?"

I rolled my eyes. "Mechfriend, boyfriend. It a long story that we don't have time for now."

I pulled out of his grasp and ran into the interrogation room. Then promptly stopped because of what I saw.

Ratchet was practically jumping over a big metal table, shouting a lot of nasty things in Cybertronian(yes, I could understand him) and waving his wrench around like a mad mech. Optimus was trying his best to hold him back without getting whacked in the helm with that deadly wrench.

Then there was Barricade backed against a one-way mirror. He had a panicked expression on his faceplates, and aside from a few dents in his helm, was pretty much okay.

If you called being terrorized by a homicidal medic with a wrench okay.

And then there was Ironhide.

He was sitting in a metal chair in the corner looking pretty happy. When I say happy, I mean he was laughing his helm off at Barricade. Fragging weapon specialist.

I transwarped onto his shoulder and smacked him in the audio receptor. "Why aren't you helping Optimus?"

He winced. "Ow. And what do you mean?"

"Don't ask me what I mean! You know perfectly well what I mean! Go help Optimus restrain Ratchet!"

"Why?"

I smacked him again. "Because Ratchet is trying to kill Barricade!"

He snorted. "I don't see what's wrong with that." Then he sighed. "Fine. Get off my fragging shoulder and I'll fix the problem."

I transwarped to the doorway and watched as Ironhide got up. His servos transformed into cannons and for a second I worried that he would shoot Ratchet.

But then he walked over to Barricade and whacked him over the helm with one of the large cannons. Barricade's eyes dimmed and he fell to the ground.

For a moment everything was quiet.

The I glared at Ironhide. "I said take care of the problem! Not knock out Barricade!"

He pointed at Barricade on the floor. "I took care of it!"

"_BARRICADE _IS NOT THE PROBLEM!" I transwarped to Ratchet. "AND _YOU_!"

I began yelling at Ratchet, about how he should've listened before he ran off. I told him the whole story of what happened the day that Barricade hit me. And, surprisingly, he just stared at me.

When I stopped, I was breathless and panting. "So do you understand _now_?"

They all continued to stare at me like I had grown an extra arm.

I looked at each of them. "What?"

Optimus leaned down to me. "_How_ did you learn to speak Cybertronian, youngling?"

"Cybertronian?" I asked.

Ratchet's optics were wide. "Your leg healed in a few _days_?"

Ironhide looked downright furious. "He _ran over _you?"

I face-palmed. "Crap…."

Then we heard a groan from the floor. I ran to the edge and transwarped, but I could've jumped. Ratchet was watching.

I ran to Barricade and tapped his helm. "Are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?"

He groaned again and his optics onlined. "What the Pit happened?"

I smiled. "You're okay. At least, for the moment."

"What the frag is that supposed to mean?"

I laughed and leaned down to kiss his metal cheek. The second my lips met metal, I felt a shock.

I jumped back, my hand flying to my lips. Barricade apparently felt it, too, because he jumped into a sitting position.

I opened my mouth to ask him what that was, but just as the thought crossed my mind, he said, "I don't know."

Then his optics went wide and I felt….something.

I couldn't tell what it was. I guess it was….confusion. But here's the catch.

It wasn't my confusion. It was Barricade's.

I closed my eyes for a moment and tapped into the AllSpark memories. A whole flood came back, and for a moment it overwhelmed me and my knees nearly gave out.

I gasped as the knowledge flooded my mind. Symbols, phrases, names, locations….all of it passed in front of my eyes.

I clenched my teeth and willed it to go to the back of my mind. Slowly and painfully, it subsided, but I could feel it waiting to flood my mind again.

I opened my eyes and suddenly I had a headache. "Oww….." I muttered rubbing my temples.

Then I looked up at Barricade who was fully standing up now. "What did you find?" he asked leaning down and opening his servo.

I climbed into it and sat down. "How did you know that I was looking for something?"

He struggled for an answer. "I….felt it."

I nodded. "I felt your confusion, too. So, I looked it up, and guess what it is."

"A spark bond?"

I nodded. "Exactly."

"But how? _You_ would have to have a spark."

I shook my head now, which hurt my head. "I don't know, Barricade. I don't know."

* * *

Barricade POV

I looked back at the Autobots. Prime and Ratchet were talking quietly, and Ironhide was glaring at me.

"What?" I snapped.

"You ran over her."

"And you knocked me out."

He growled.

I growled back at him.

"Will you both just shut up! I'm so tired of you acting like five year olds!" Nicole shouted.

We both looked at her.

She pointed at Ironhide. "You! I'm tired of you acting like you have to control me! I can take care of myself. Living in foster homes forces you take care of yourself!"

I smirked at Ironhide. He glared at me.

But then Nicole pointed at me. "Don't even start feeling smug, Barricade! Your just as bad! At least try to get along with him!"

Then she sighed. "I'm…going to go with Optimus for awhile. So I can explain everything to him. Can you get along for just a few hours?"

We looked at each other, then nodded slowly.

"Good." Then she turned to Prime. "Hey, Optimus, I'll explain it all to you in your office. Ratchet, can you show Barricade to his quarters?" She looked at Ironhide, as if daring him to protest against me living here.

When he didn't say anything, she continued. "Try to take like a backway. I don't want him to be killed because of his past records."

Then she vanished in a flash of blue light and reappeared in Prime's shoulder. She said something to him that I couldn't hear, and he nodded.

Prime turned to Ratchet and Ironhide. "You are welcome to join us later." They both nodded. The Autobot leader walked out, with Ironhide following.

Ratchet sighed. "Come on."

I followed him out into the hall, and we started back the way we come. I had started memorizing all the turns when the medic laughed.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his helm. "Earlier I asked Nicole if she really loved you."

"Well, what did she say?"

"What do you think? She said 'What kind of question is that? Of course. Otherwise I would have said blast him to pieces.'"

I winced.

Ratchet laughed again. "I told her that it was so unusual for an ex-Decepticon to fall in love with a human. It's actually never happened." He cast me a suspicious glance. "That's why it's so hard for me to trust you, Barricade. A Decepticon meets the Host of the AllSpark, and he just happens to fall in love with her."

I stopped in the middle of the empty hall. "I don't want you to like me. I just want to earn your trust."

He slowed down, but then continued walking, so I ran to catch up.

A few minutes later, we arrived at a door that looked brand new, and it was in a hall that was empty. Ratchet opened the door.

Inside was a berth in the corner, a desk against a wall, and a chair in the corner.

I walked inside. "Thank you, Ratchet."

He didn't say anything, so I assumed he was gone. But then he sighed.

"Barricade, I already respect you and trust you. When Nicole screamed in that forest, it was like Unicron himself was chasing you. You took off faster than any of us, and I pretty sure it wasn't because you wanted to hand the Host off to Starscream. For that, I trust you. But, it will take others who weren't there a while longer than me. And Ironhide may never trust you."

I stared at him. "Umm, thanks?"

He smirked and shut the door.

I sat on the berth, trying to figure out what had just happened. Then what Ratchet called Nicole registered. 'The Host'.

I rushed to the door and opened it, but he was already gone.

* * *

Nicole POV

I sat on Optimus' desk and sighed. I had just gotten done explaining things, and now they were asking questions.

Fingering the shard, I closed my eyes. My headache had only gotten worst, and I was waiting for Ratchet to get his aft in here.

I heard the door open above the noise of Optimus and Ironhide talking. "Yay, Ratchet's here with those wonderful painkillers…"I muttered.

But I was disappointed to see that when I opened my eyes, the mechs who had come in were Prowl and Wheeljack.

I waved at them to get their attention. "Hey, would any of you happen to have painkillers?"

They both looked at me. Prowl looked surprised and Wheeljack looked happy.

"Hello, Nicole." He said, bending down a bit. "I'm glad to see you again."

"Nice to see you, too, Wheeljack. Would you happen to have any aspirin?"

"What's aspirin?"

"Never mind. So, what are you doing here?"

"Prime called both of us here. To ask us about something that had to do with the AllSpark."

"The AllSpark, huh?" I murmured.

Optimus looked up from his conversation with Ironhide. "Wheeljack, Prowl, thank you for coming here. A very important matter has presented itself. Nicole, pay attention. This involves you, too."

I looked up warily. "Just how would this involve me? Does it have to do with the AllSpark?"

Optimus looked amused. "Would you please show Wheeljack and Prowl what you can do?"

I sighed. "They've already seen. But, incase they forgot the one human who can transwarp, then fine."

I got up and picked a random spot to appear. Which just happened to be a drawer in Optimus' desk.

With a thud, I landed in a pile of papers. I laid there, hoping they wouldn't have heard it. I might take a nap while they search for me.

But karma must hate me. Optimus opened the drawer and carefully pulled me out.

He looked worried. "Is something wrong?"

I started to nod, but instead shook my head. It felt like I had someone in my head bashing my brain with a sledgehammer.

"No. Just tired. And I want some answers."

Optimus nodded. "I think it is time you learned what this is all about." He set me down and I criss-crossed my legs.

We turned back to Wheeljack and Prowl.

Wheeljack's optics were wide. "I thought it was just a legend…" He muttered.

Prowl optics had been dim, but they suddenly onlined again. "The Host of the AllSpark."

Now I was very confused. "What?"

Optimus sighed. "It was a legend that was rather popular on Cybertron. The AllSpark cannot be destroyed, but transformed. It was said that a Host would be chosen, and the AllSpark would drain it's power into that Host. Old writings predicted that the Host would use the AllSpark power to either destroy the universe or save it."

I stared at him for a moment. "So….What does this mean?" I asked quietly, though I already knew the answer.

Prowl answered me before Optimus. "Nicole Witwicky, you are the Host."

My head throbbed. I shook my head. "No. No, you've got the wrong person."

"Nicole, he is right. You are the Host." Wheeljack said quietly.

"Stop calling me that! It sounds…Wrong!" I shouted standing up.

Optimus looked sympathetic. "Calm down, Nicole-"

"Frag it all, Prime!" shouted Ironhide, who had been quiet this whole time. "Don't tell the girl to calm down! She has a right to be upset. You haven't even told her the rest!"

"The rest?" I asked almost too afraid to ask.

Ironhide glared at me. "I'm not gonna hide the slaggin' truth from you. Your destined to die, Nicole."

My heart froze.

No. That had to be wrong. I shook my head, then gasped. The head ache was worst than ever now.

I shook my head slowly. "I'm sorry. I have to think for a while."

And with that I transwarped.

* * *

Nicole disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Slag." Ironhide muttered.

* * *

Barricade POV

I jolted awake.

I had been in recharge when I felt it. The distress.

Nicole's distress.

Then, just like that, it spiked to an all time high. And then it was gone. That was what woke me up.

If I couldn't feel the spark bond, that meant that Nicole had somehow severed it. Or she was….offline.

I jumped out of the berth and was halfway across the room when the bond reappeared. My vents went into overtime.

But I wasn't fully reassured because the bond felt more distant. Like she was farther away.

I was definitely still worried.

So, I set off to find the one mech in this base that I knew trusted me.

* * *

Nicole POV

I landed on my knees, making grass stains on my jeans. My head was hurting so bad that I couldn't think straight.

And for the first time in 13 years, a tear rolled down my cheek.

I lifted one hand to try to wipe the tear away, but all I succeeded in doing is falling on my side. A sob escaped my lips, and I laid my head on the cool grass.

Death. All because of some stupid legend.

I would lose everyone. Barricade. Taylor. Spice. Ironhide. Optimus. Ratchet. Sunny and Sides. Lennox and Epps.

More tears rolled down my cheek, down my nose, and into the grass.

Grass. Where was I? Slowly, I raised my head and froze.

All around me were tombstones. I looked at the nearest one and read it. And read it again.

Of all places, I had transwarped to my parents graves.

Trying my best to ignore the pain, I sat up. "Momma, Daddy…."

I wiped the tears off my cheeks, but they were replaced by more. "Did you know this was going to happen? Did you know that when you gave me the necklace, it was going to ensure my death?"

I sobbed. The pain increased and I gasped. My head felt like it was splitting open.

I looked at the sky. "God, just kill me know!" I screamed.

And then the pain hurt so bad that my vision turned white, my body went numb, and I blacked out.

* * *

Bumblebee POV

Before I got to base, I planned to stop by Sam and Mikaela's graves. Optimus had sent me the address, incase I did ever come back.

I pulled up to the gates. They were still open.

I activated my holoform and was going through the gate when I heard the scream. "God, just kill me now!"

I took off running in the direction of the scream. I looked down aisle after aisle until I saw a crumpled form on the ground.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" I shouted. The form didn't move. She didn't even look like she was breathing.

I ran to her and turned her over. I nearly dropped the young woman.

She had long black hair and a face just like Mikaela. Her eyes were barely open, but I could see that her hazel eyes were glazed over.

I backed away. It was Nicole.

* * *

Me: Hey you guys. I hope you liked this chap. And as for what's wrong with Nicole, you'll have to find out in the next chapter.

Nice me: Awww, isn't that nice!

Me: What?

Nice me: You told them they'll find out in the next chapter! That was very nice!

Me: *face palms*

Abusive me: Wow. There's actually someone stupider than Liar me.

Liar me: Hey! I am not stupid.

Me: You lie all the time, right?

Liar me: No.

Abusive me: Yes, she does.

Liar me: I do not!

Me: So if you lie all the time, that means that you just called yourself stupid.

Liar me: Uhhhh….

Nice me: Oh, she's not stupid!

Me: *throws a toaster at Nice me*

Abusive me: Nice shot.

Random me: AHHHHH, FLYING TOASTERS!

Abusive me: Where'd you come from?

Me: I may have just developed another personality.

Random me: WWWEEEEEEE!

Me: A really stupid one.


	9. My Adoption Agent?

Chapter 9:

Barricade POV

I knocked on the door that said Med bay. When no one answered, I opened the door.

And screaming glitched out my audio receptors. Immediately I lowered the sensitivity, holding my helm.

"Ratchet?" I shouted over the screaming. I looked around and saw Taylor sitting on a metal table, staring at Ratchet, and screaming her head off.

Ratchet was trying to calm her down by saying something, but that seemed to freak her out even more.

I sighed and downloaded a picture of Tim McGraw. I projected the picture a few feet away from Taylor.

She noticed the projection and shut up immediately. After a few seconds of staring, she opened her mouth and screamed in joy. She jumped to her feet and took off running towards the projection…..

And went right through it. She had a surprised look on her face as she fell flat on her face.

I shook my helm. Slow to listen, fast to chase Tim McGraw. Typical Taylor.

Ratchet looked at me. "Why-?" He shook his helm. "I don't want to know."

"Why is this room sound proof?"

He turned back to a tray of tools. Sharp tools. "Would you like to hear the screaming of some mech or femme during a painful operation?"

I shuddered(what happened to sedatives?) and turned back to Taylor, who had a dazed expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

She looked at me. "Where'd Tim McGraw go?"

"That was a projection."

"Are you a dream?"

"No, Taylor. I am not a dream. I am very much real-" I stopped in mid-sentence and grasped at my spark. A fire hot pain was shooting through it. I couldn't feel anything. It was like someone was stabbing at my spark.

Then, in the blink of an optic, it was gone.

I opened my optics. Everything was blurry. A neon yellow blur was leaning over me, saying something that I couldn't understand.

My spark felt perfectly fine. But the rest of me…..felt like I hadn't moved in ages.

I groaned as I sat up. Everything cleared. Ratchet was watching me like I might fall over offline any second. "Are you okay?"

I rubbed my helm. "Yes. No. Maybe." What the slag had just happened?

The neon medic shook his helm. "It seems like every time I turn around, there's another one of you falling over clutching at your spark. I should have more check up days." He grinned as he leaned over a set of sharp tools. "Almost every mech and femme disappears, besides Optimus. Even the humans hide."

Ratchet picked a tool off the table that looked suspiciously like a human needle. "I need to take an energon sample." He said reaching for my arm.

I jerked away. "Frag no. I'm not letting you stick me with that."He scowled. "Stop acting like a sparkling. I just need to test your energon for any unwanted fluids that made you have that spark attack, or what ever it was."

I looked at him in surprise. "You don't know what that was about?"

Ratchet looked like he didn't like admitting that he didn't. "I've never seen it before. The only problems that I could think would cause that would be a glitch in your systems, or something related to a spark bond." He narrowed his optics. "Surely you don't still have a spark bond with some femme, since you are with Nicole. Do you, Barricade?"

The second he had said something about a spark bond, I reached out to Nicole. I relaxed a little when I felt her, but something else was wrong. The connection was dormant. Like she was there, but I couldn't feel her emotions. It was as if she had closed it off from me. But I had a feeling it wasn't that.

I was broke out of my thoughts when Ratchet snapped his digits in my face. Such a human act. I still couldn't do that, with my hologram or with out it.

"Barricade. Are you even listening? Did you hear what I said?"

I blinked, then shook my helm. "No, I don't have a spark bond with another femme, but…" When I saw the look on Ratchet's face, I cursed my self for saying too much.

At that moment, I heard a small cough. We both looked down to see Taylor, who had her hands on her hips, and was looking annoyed. "Uh, hello? Look, I know your aliens and all, but I'm hungry. I've pinched myself I don't know how many times, but what convinced me was when I heard my stomach rumble. And my mama always said, 'If your stomach rumbles during a dream, then you ain't dreamin'-"

"Taylor," I snapped, "Your rambling. Get to the point."

She glared at me. "And here I thought without Nicole I'd actually finish a sentence." She rubbed her stomach. "But, like I said, I'm hungry."

Ratchet smirked. "A very unique young human, you are, Taylor."

She threw her hands up in the air. "Hallelujah, someone around here appreciates my quirkiness."

I sighed. "Ratchet, do you know where she could get some food? And a shower?"

Taylor glared. "Hey!"

Ratchet's optics dimmed, then brightened. "I sent a message to Simmons and Leo. They come here to get her."

I nodded, not saying anything. Nicole had told me about them, but I had never met them.

I saw a neon yellow blur, and then felt a sharp prick in my arm. I snarled, holding my arm.

Ratchet grinned gleefully, holding up the syringe filled with energon. "I've gotten remarkably good at that."

I glared at him. "What if you had hit something other than an energon line?"

He turned around, back to his tools. "Barricade, I'm just too good. It's simply not possible."

I glared at the medic, but turned back to Taylor. "Okay, Tay. I'll set you down." I said holding out my open servo.

Cautiously, she climbed on. "You know, only Cade called me that."

I sighed. "I am Cade. That was a fake name. My real designation is Barricade."

"You don't look like him."

If she hadn't been I my servo, I would have face-palmed.

I argued with her for several more minutes as we waited for her guides. I finally convinced her when I showed her my hologram. But this started a whole new argument about how my hologram was solid when it was basically a projection.

She was about to start shouting when the human-sized door opened. Two humans walked in, and one looked older than the other. The older one was carrying something that looked strangely like a flame thrower. And it was aimed at me.

The younger human held his hand out to Taylor. "Hey, how's it going? My names Leo."

She shook his hand. "My names Taylor. And you are…" she asked looking at human with the flame thrower.

He glanced at her, then back to me. "Call me Simmons."

Taylor stared at the flame thrower. "Why do you have that?"

Simmons nodded to me. "When I worked at Sector Seven, we contained NBE1 by keeping him frozen. This was the next best thing to defend myself against him."

"But…Barricade wouldn't hurt a fly. I've known him for four years, lived with him for 1. And I never saw him kill so much as a iddy biddy bug."

Simmons snorted. "Miss, he's a Decepticon. He's killed a lot more than a bug."

I growled at the annoying human. "I'm not a Decepticon anymore."

He laughed. "Yeah, and you know what alcoholics say? They say they've been sober for months, but even the slightest push can send 'em over the edge! Next thing you know, they're picking pockets for money to buy booze! Why should you be any different?"

Taylor glared at the man. "That was rude."

Leo snorted. "Simmons tends to overreact a little bit."

She glared at him too. "What he said to Barricade was rude, but I wasn't talking about that."

We all looked at her. "What?"

Taylor looked at all of us. "I drink, but I don't pick pockets!"

I face-palmed. "Taylor, he wasn't talking about you-"

"So? It was an insult."

"Just go take a shower, Tay."

"But I don't need one!"

"Yes, you do." Before she could protest again, Leo gently started pulling her towards the door. Simmons went with them, walking backwards and still glaring at me. I returned the glare.

Only once the door closed did I relax. I looked at Ratchet. "I'm starting to think that coming here wasn't such a great idea."

He grunted, still focused on the energon he had drawn from me. "Don't worry. Once they see that your not a Decepticon anymore, the will change their mind. Just don't threaten any humans, or step on them."

Subconsciously, I looked at my pedes.

Suddenly Ratchet's optics dimmed. Then they onlined. Throwing down the tool he had been holding, he cursed in our native language. Ratchet started towards the door faster than I had seen him move.

"What? What is it?" I asked, trying to keep up.

Ratchet growled, but I had the feeling it wasn't at me. "Prime and Ironhide went and told her about the fragging legend. Then she transwarped somewhere a few minutes ago.""Nicole? What legend?"

Ratchet ignored me and kept walking. This was not good.

I followed him, but it was hard to focus on him because Autobots all around me were stopping and glaring at me, some even growling. A few minutes of walking/jogging we reached a room that had a Cybertronian sized desk and desk chair, with a few chairs in front of the desk. I guessed that this was Prime's office.

Ironhide was yelling at Prime, who stood behind his desk, looking grim. I recognized the scientist Wheeljack and Prowl sitting in chairs, quiet and grim-looking, also. The second they saw me, Prowl hissed and Wheeljack tensed up. I chose to ignore them.

Ratchet walked right up Ironhide and hit him in the back of the helm. The weapons specialist stopped and glared, rubbing his helm.

Then Ratchet turned to Prime. "How much did you tell her?"

Prime sighed. "All of it."

"Even the part about her death?"

"Yes."Ratchet looked at the ground, shaking his helm. After a few moments, he looked back up. "Well, any idea where she went?"

Prime shook his head, and Ironhide muttered a 'No.'

Ratchet turned around and looked at me. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Where the frag did she go? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

I held my hands up. "What makes you think that I know?"

"Well, you've known her for the past four years. Where does she go when she's depressed?"

"Nowhere!" I said angrily. "All she does is sit on the couch!"

Ratchet looked about ready to hit me when Prime suddenly stood up straight. "Nicole is with Bumblebee."

We all looked at him. "What?"

"He found her at the cemetery where Sam and Mikaela were buried. She was unconscious when he found her, but she seems to be all right. He's bringing her here now."

Ironhide grunted. "Good. When she gets back we're going to have a talk about transwarping at random times."

Prime sent Ironhide a stern look. "Ironhide, the only reason she transwarped was because you told her she was going to offline."

Prowl looked up. "It was more than that. Nicole was distressed, and she complained about her head hurting."

Wheeljack nodded. "Yes. She asked me for aspirin."

Prime considered this. Then he said, "Ratchet, do you think it could have anything to do with the AllSpark?"

Ratchet shrugged. "It could just be her getting used to the power. But she seemed to be able to control her powers fine." He paused. "It may be the knowledge that comes with the AllSpark. She could be having trouble keeping the knowledge from consuming her own."

"What would happen if the knowledge did consume her?" I asked, and they all jumped as if they had forgotten I was there.

"Well," Ratchet continued, "the AllSpark knowledge is so large that it could take over her own mind. She would forget everything, and the AllSpark would take over. Nicole would become an emotionless shell. It would be worse than being offline."

Silence hung in the air as we all processed that. Then Prime asked a question that was probably on all of our minds. "How do we keep that from happening?"

Ratchet shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Millions of years of knowledge is something that is nearly impossible to keep separated from only twenty years of memories."

"What about meditation?" Prowl asked, and we all looked at him.

"Meditation?" Ironhide said slowly, as if he had never heard of it.

Prowl nodded. "It calms the mind and clears thoughts. It might be able to help Nicole control the AllSpark knowledge."

Ratchet sighed. "It's worth a try."

Prime nodded. "It's perhaps the only chance. When Nicole and Bumblebee arrive, we will try your theory, Prowl. You are dismissed."

The other Autobots walked out the door. I was last. Just as I was about to walk out, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Barricade, I would like you to stay. We need to talk."

Frag.

Nicole POV

I smelled smoke.

My head hurt from breathing it in. I coughed, then looked at me hands. They were the hands of a child. An eight-year-old.

I looked around through the smoke and haze. My mom and dad were near me. We were hiding behind the couch on the second floor.

I could here the shouting outside. Shouting and explosions.

Suddenly one part of the wall ripped away. My parents pulled me back, just before I saw the flames. The first floor was on fire.

I looked up and screamed. Two glowing red eyes glared back at me and my parents. The eyes were hollow and cold, but at the same time they burned with a hate and glee.

Then a silver metal arm came crashing down on the section of floor beside us. I felt like I was falling, falling down into the flames.

But then my dad and mom gave me one last push, and I was on a section of floor that had not fallen through.

Dazed, I sat up. Everything had gone quiet, but there was still chaos all around me.

I leaned over the edge again, just in time to see my parents-

I opened my eyes.

It was dark. I tried to sit up, but my body felt sore. My head wasn't hurting anymore.

The air around me was warm, and it felt like I was in a moving car. Looking at the front seat, I realized I was. The interior was familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen it. I looked at the digital clock 7:28 P.M.

How long had I been out?

Then I noticed something. No one was driving. I was in a Transformer.

I tried to get an idea of which Transformer I was in. Decepticon don't have everyday vehicle alt modes. The only one who had one was Barricade, but this wasn't a Mustang. So, it was an Autobot. Or the 'Cons had gotten tired of military vehicles, but I doubted that.

Trying to appear asleep still, I looked at the dashboard. There usually was the name of the brand the car was.

Camaro was written in silver cursive on the dashboard.

A Camaro.

There was only one Autobot who was a Camaro, and that was Bumblebee. My dad's runaway guardian.

I pinched myself. Surely I wasn't in Bumblebee.

And if I was, why wasn't he talking to me? The idea that he blamed me for my parents death rose in my mind again.

I sighed. 'I was right, Jazz. He does blame me.'

Jazz sighed. 'You don't have 'nough faith in yerself, ya know that? Did ya ever think tha' maybe he blames himself, and thinks that you blame him, too?'

'But I don't! I blame myself!'

'Exactly. Ya both blame yerselves, and think tha' the other does, too.'

'I only half understood that.'

I heard Jazz sigh again.

Suddenly, I noticed we were slowing down. I began to get nervous. Not only because i wouldn't know what to do when we stopped, but because I had transwarped in the middle of an important meeting and Ironhide would probably jump on me about it.

Then I remembered _why_ I had transwarped, and I felt sick all over again. A feeling of dread settled in my stomach, and my palms felt clammy. Death. Why was I so afraid of it? My mom and dad were dead, so id probably see them, but...I had a new life here. New friends. A new family. One that I couldnt leave behind.

I found a grim determination in that thought. I would not give up so easily. I would fight this sentence, no matter what.

As if in agreement, the shard pulsed warmly like a beating heart.

After passing a checkpoint, we pulled to a stop in front of the same warehouse that I had been taken to when I first got here. The hangar door opened, and we drove in. And guess who was waiting for us?

Optimus, Ratchet(who looked mad as hell), Ironhide(his expression mirrored Ratchet's), Barricade, Wheeljack, and, surprisingly, Prowl.

When I saw Barricade's worried and tense expression, I felt relieved and guilty at the same time. Relieved because I could now finally talk to him and relax. Guilty because I had left him here, by himself surrounded mostly hostile Autobots.

I also wanted to talk to him about the spark bond.

Bumblebee stopped, and to save the awkward moment, I just transwarped from the back seat. I regretted it almost instantly. My head started spinning again, and I felt nauseous.

I heard Bumblebee transform, and I looked at him. He looked just like he had in the visions I had seen, door wings and all.

As he looked down at me with a look of astonishment, probably at the fact that I had just transwarped, I looked away. I couldn't meet his gaze. I was tired of being looked at like a dog that had just done a back flip. Least to say, it was irritating.

Ironhide and Barricade both opened their mouths to say something, but Ratchet cut them off. "That was slaggin' stupid, transwarping randomly like that, youngling. Come here." He said, holding out his servo.

I took that as an invitation to transwarp, and reappeared in his servo. Ratchet glared at me. "From now on, no more transwarping."

"Whatever, Ratch." I muttered. "I'm too tired to do it again."

He looked a little surprised, but nodded curtly. "Good." Then he looked around at the mechs watching us quietly. "Now, if you aren't on the brink of deactivation, don't bother me in the med bay." I closed my eyes as Ratchet started walking towards his med bay. The swaying was soothing, yet sickening. Then the swaying stopped. "Prowl, actually would you mind coming with us?"

Prowl must've agreed, because we started walking again. After a few minutes, I heard a door open, and suddenly a clean medical smell hit me. I did not like that smell. It reminded me too much of when I had cancer, and the time that Barricade had hit me and I had a broken leg and arm.

I finally decided to open my eyes as Ratchet set me down on one of the medical berths. The second I jumped down, I was attacked by a blonde blur that let out a high pitched squeal.

This blur was Taylor. She hugged the crap out of me, asking me over and over where I had been and if I was alright and she started babbling about how nice everyone at the base was, and so on.

"You smell cleaner." I said, with a lopsided grin. "You no longer smell like whiskey or Vodka or whatever you were drinking."

She gave me a mock glare, but returned my grin. Her hair was hanging around her face in wet blonde curls. Her clothes had been exchanged for camouflaged cargo pants and a solid dark green crew neck t-shirt.

"Oh, Nicole, you wouldn't believe how cool it is here. There's giant robots all over the place. And they're all nice! Not a one of them tried to step on me like I thought they would-"

I snorted. "Tay, Sunny would kill'em if they did."

I laughed out loud at her expression of confusion.

Then I giggled because I felt a tingle go through me. I turned to see Ratchet had already downloaded the information on to a data pad. After shaking his head a few times, he looked at me. "And you complained of your helm hurting right before you transwarped?"

"Yeah. But Ratchet, I think it was more than that. After I transwarped to….er….the first place that popped in my head, I passed out because it hurt so bad."

He stared at me for a moment, then muttered something. Ratchet beckoned for Prowl to come closer. "Prowl, would you please explain why Nicole has these headaches to her, and tell her about the way to treat it?"I noticed that Prowl had been watching me the whole entire time. When Ratchet said his name, his door wings twitched, but did as he said.

A few minutes later, I felt sick. No only the threat of death hung over me now, but also becoming a mindless drone. Great. Fragging great.

Prowl watched me intently I noticed again with curiosity. "Nicole, whenever you want, you can come by my office and talk to me about meditating." He said sounding surprisingly caring. Man, I had this weird feeling, that at sometime or another, I had met Prowl. He sounded so familiar. But where….

My life was seriously getting way too out of balance.

I smiled up at him. "Thanks, Prowl. I'll probably come by sometime later-"

Ratchet glared at me. "You will go get food, and go with Prowl _now_. The faster we treat this, the easier it'll be to control. Prowl, please take her and make sure she gets healthy food. Not something like that disgusting McDonald's."

Taylor stared at him. "What do you have against McDonald's?"

And that began a long lecture about how unhealthy McDonald's was from Ratchet.

But I didn't stay to hear it. Prowl just held out his hand and I climbed on. He let me crawl on his shoulder, and we left the room just as Taylor began to say something that would keep the argument going. Taylor has a thing for starting arguments. A big thing.

I barely paid attention to where we went. I just remember getting some food from the cafeteria, with Prowl watching, and then we were in his office. That is how little I pay attention to things. Taylor swears I have ADD or ADHD.

Prowls office consisted of two chairs in front of a desk, with a huge super computer on it and a rolling chair behind it. The computer looked like it had all the security cameras taping live feed to it. I could see the cafeteria, a shooting range, the med bay(Ratchet and Taylor were still arguing), and a conference room, along with other rooms that I couldn't identify.

Prowl had set me down on the desk and started working on a few data pads, giving me the time to eat my food. While I did this, I watched the screens.

There was one small screen, 007 it said, that was static. This seemed strange, seeing as Prowl didn't seem like the mech to leave a camera broken.

"Hey, Prowl." I said. He looked up at me, stylus froze in mid write. I pointed to the screen. "Don't you know that camera's not working?"

He looked where I was pointing, seemed to tense up for a second, then nod curtly. "Yes."

I hesitated, but asked, "Where is it positioned?"

He stared at the small static screen for a moment, then said, "An old storage room. It hasn't been used in a long time."

I stared at him while he went back to work. Something was wrong. There was a specific reason he didn't want to talk about the camera. Then what he said actually registered. An old storage room? Like the one Jazz had been in?

I knew I was on dangerous ground here. This was going to be tricky.

I took a deep breath. "Prowl, is that the room Jazz is in?"

Prowl seemed to freeze, and I wondered if maybe I had pushed too hard.

'_I really wish ya hadn't said tha'' _Jazz's voice startled me.

I stared at Prowl expectantly, already regretting asking. Then the stylus in Prowl's hand broke in half.

I stared at the bright blue Energon that was leaking from the small cut in the wiring on Prowl's finger. Then I looked at his faceplates. It seemed that the mental guard was gone, and emotions that had wanted to break free were finally taking the chance.

Prowl's optics were squeezed shut, and I could see bright blue tears slowly rolling down his faceplates. It was a look of pure pain. Of grieving.

I didn't know what to do about the tears, but instead I took my necklace off and walked over to Prowl's injured fist. The metal was warm to the touch, and instead of the Energon burning me, it just tingled like I was Energon proof.

Holding the necklace close to the cut, I willed it to heal and close. The shard glowed for a moment, then a small bolt of electricity shot out towards the cut, and it closed.

Prowl jumped and looked down at me, with tears still going down his faceplates. I didn't say anything as I checked the wiring to make sure it was closed. I heard him take a deep shaky breath. "Primus, youngling….It hurts so much to think about him. But it's hard not to. He was my other half." He paused. "How did you know about him?"

I was done checking the cut, but I still let my hand rest on his warm servo. "I….um…transwarped into the storage room when I went to find Barricade. It was on accident. The AllSpark told me who he was."

Prowl stared at me for a few more moments, then wiped his faceplates with the hand that hadn't been cut. "When I arrived on Earth, we were going to be bonded. But…." He took another shaky breath, then shook his head, smiling a little. "Your mother seemed to understand most of all."

It was my turn to tense up at the mention of my mom. Prowl glanced at me, as if seeing if I would tell him to stop. But I didn't say anything.

He continued. "She seemed to understand the grief and the sorrow. Mikaela helped me deal with it. If it weren't for her, I probably off lined myself. She was my favorite human, and I became her guardian, promising to protect her and…."

Prowl sighed. "When you were born, she showed everyone. _Everyone_. You were a very happy sparkling. You smiled and laughed more than you cried. But then you starting growing, and we had to begin using holograms to visit you. Your parents didn't want you to worry about the constant threat of Decepticons around every corner."

He rubbed his face plates with his servos, looking suddenly more tired then he had seemed a few minutes before. "When Mikaela and Sam died….I was afraid that you had died with them. But they pushed you just as the floor collapsed. It was like loosing Jazz all over again. It was so _slagging _hard." Prowl stared at me. "I promised I would try to make your life easier. I hacked into the Adoption Agency computers and changed the files, trying to get you into decent foster homes."

I stared at him. "You…did do that for me?"

He nodded. "I was your adoption agent."

So that was why he was so familiar. But if he had worked to get me to decent homes, why had I been given to Phil Darfin? He was anything but decent. All the others had been okay, but I just couldn't follow the rules and had been returned to the agency.

Almost as if he had read my mind, Prowl said, "There was one period of time that I had to focus on the Decepticons. They had been attacking several military bases lately, and I wasn't able to check on you for about a year." He tilted his helm to the side a little. "Were you alright?"

"Yeah, things went okay." I lied.

Prowl nodded, and stared at the opposite wall. After a few minutes of silence, he asked, "That was the year Barricade hit you, wasn't it?"

I stared at him, surprised. "Yeah, it was. How'd you know?"

"I looked at the files and saw that you had been admitted to the hospital for a few weeks. Amazing how easy it was to do it, too."

Now Prowl looked at me directly. "I still do not understand why you are….dating him, as the humans say. There is no logic in it, as it was his kind that killed your parents."

I didn't get mad at Prowl for asking. He had a right to know, I had just asked him about Jazz. And I owed him with all the help in the adoption agency. I sighed. "The Decepticons aren't Barricades' kind. He quit being a 'Con years ago as he told me. If I didn't trust 'Cade, he would not be here, and I would not be defending him." I hesitated. "But I do love him, and I know he loves me. Besides, if he wanted to hand me over to the Decepticons, wouldn't he have done it 4 years ago, when he first met me?"

Prowl seemed to think about that. "I guess there is logic in that." He said, almost hesitantly.

I smiled at him. "Prowl, there isn't a logical answer for everything. Like love. Just because someone you loved with all your spark is gone, it doesn't mean that the love dies with them. If it did, this world would be full of hate and darkness."

Prowl stared at me. "For a girl of your age, you are wise."

I shrugged. "The AllSpark dumped all of this knowledge on me. It's seen every battle, every sparking of a sparkling, every deactivation. Everything." I finished softly.

"That's billions of years of knowledge to be placed upon a 20 year old human."

I laughed. "Yeah."

Prowl didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "Nicole, does the AllSpark pick sides?"

The question surprised me. I fiddled with the shard, which I had put back on. After a moment of considering how to answer that, I said, "No. It doesn't. It helped Primus create a race, the Transformers. You are all the same kind, just with different opinions. It doesn't wish to see the extinction of the race it created, but it cannot interfere. You were given the right to choose your path. In other words, the Transformers are supposed to decide their own fates. You are all supposed to work together, be one. Solve problems together, fight battles together, grieve each other's death, celebrate the new creation of sparklings together. But it cannot interfere. It isn't allowed an opinion."

And it was like the heavens split open, and the light shined on me, letting me know why I had been given the AllSpark.

My hands dropped to my sides. "Prowl, that's the reason I was given the AllSpark. It couldn't have an opinion, but it knows that if something doesn't happen, then many more will die, pushing the Transformers closer to extinction. So it chose someone with an opinion. Someone who's not of your race."

For a few moments Prowl considered what I said, leaning back in his chair. I began to watch the screens of the security cameras. Ratchet was still arguing with Taylor, Ironhide was in the shooting range, blowing up holograms of 'Cons, and Optimus was in his office talking to Bumblebee. I frowned when I saw him. I still thought he blamed me. Why else would he not say anything when I said hello to him?

I saw Barricade, too.

He was sitting on a berth in what I guess was the room he had been given. He appeared to be dozing off. One second his helm would drop, and then he would sit up straight, looking around.

My heart ached. I wanted so badly talk to him, tell him everything. Hear Barricade's voice. To feel his warmth.

Barricade suddenly looked around as if someone had said his name. I felt confusion. His confusion. Then I remembered the spark bond we shared.

I felt him reach out through the bond. Smiling softly, I sent him a calming feeling, basically saying I was okay. Then I chided him for not recharging.

'Cade looked around, saw the camera, and I felt amusement through the bond. I could practically hear him saying, "_Spying, Nicole?_"

Before I could send him anything, Prowl broke my thoughts. "If only Megatron could here you talk, youngling. Maybe that would be the end of this war."

I shrugged. "Maybe." But I doubted my own words.

Prowl looked very tired again. His door wings were drooping. He must've been thinking about Jazz again. After thinking for a moment, I bent down and scooped up all the trash. It was Prowl's turn to stare at me. "What are you doing, Nicole?"

I smiled at him, my trash gathered in my arms. "You need to rest. I'm going to go see 'Cade."

"But-"

"No buts. You need rest. Go recharge. I owe you that much."

He tilted his helm to the side a little. "What about helping you control the AllSpark memories?"

I waved his worries away. "Prowl, there's always tomorrow. Or the next day. If Ratchet starts to threaten you with deactivation, I'll tell him it was my fault."

"By letting you walk away, it is my fault."

"Go rest. _Now_."

He opened his mouth. "But-"

"Prowl, shut up and go recharge."

His jaw dropped in shock. Then he shook his head. "No one's ever told me to shut up before."

I grinned at him. "Well, at least I said with good intentions." I gave him a little wave. "Bye, Prowl."

Prowl gave me a look. "You're going to transwarp, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Ratchet said not to transwarp."

"Prowl. There is something that you should know about me that has developed over the years. I have selective hearing." And with one little last wave, I left him to figure out what selective hearing was in a flash of blue light.

Hey you guys sorry for now updating after a long time. But I hope this quenched your thirst! Its longer than usual. I had a limit, but now that is out of the window, so the chaps could be 600 words long or 5000 words long.

I'm only recently planned on putting in some quality Nicole/Prowl time. And don't worry, bumblebee and nicole will finally talk in the next few chaps. It will also be explained as to why Bee didn't answer nicole when she said "Hello?"

Sorry if any one seemed out of character.

Thanks to superprimegirl for being my penpal.

Again, reviews are appreciated, kiddies.

**NEXT CHAP: NICOLE HAS A TALK WITH CADE AND SHE GETS READY TO RESURRECT OUR FAVORITE SABOTEUR! **


	10. What The Frag? JAZZ!

Chapter 10:

I first transwarped to the cafeteria, startling several people close to me, and Red Alert, who yelped. Emptying the trash from my arms into a trash can, I gave the soldiers a quick smile, then transwarped again, to Barricade's room.

I happened to land on Barricade's chasis, as he was laying down on the berth. He jumped, but when he realized it was me, he smiled. A smile that was reserved for me.

"Hey, babe." I said, smiling. Barricade's presence was like a warm, relaxed, loving atmosphere. Our energy fields brushed, and I saw in his mind for a brief flash.

Barricade cupped his hand around me, and he sat up, shifting me so that I was still pretty much on his chasis and he was sitting up looking down at me. After a few moments of staring at each other, he said, "It's so quiet."

"Yeah, it is." I agreed softly. "Peaceful. Unlike this whole day."

He did something that sounded like a snort. "This is probably the last peaceful moment we'll have together for a while. A long while."

I nodded, not saying anything. Then, "Did you know that I was the Host?"

He looked surprised. "Host?"

So no one had told him. Great. Well, thanks everybody who had the chance to tell him and didn't. Now I get to explain my own death. Remind me to send out 'Thank You' cards.

I sighed. "There….is a legend. About the AllSpark choosing someone to host. That person would be able to control the AllSpark. And…."I hesitated. "I'm that person."

He just watched me quietly.

I closed my eyes. Like that would help. "Supposedly, I'm to save the universe, or destroy it."

Barricade fixed me with an intense stare. "Okay, so we just make sure you don't get drunk and make bad decisions or smoke crack or something like that-"

"No, Barricade!" I shouted. It was probably the first time I had ever raised my voice at him without him shouting first. "It's not some stupid joke. Well," I said, wiping me eyes, "Maybe it's some kind of sick joke of Fate's. But the point is….there's a catch."

"….Go on."

I sniffled. Tears were rolling down my cheeks now. I didn't have the control over them like I did after my parents died. That was out the window. But still, I forced myself to look up into his red optics. "I'm supposed to _die_, 'Cade. _Die_."

For a moment, he just stared at me like I said I was the alien. Then he held me up to his face and kissed my forehead as gently as he could. Then he looked me in the eyes. "Nicole, I will_ not_ let that happen._ Ever_. I swear on it. Whatever it takes, you _are _staying alive."

I just sobbed. "But, 'Cade, what if-"

"Nicole, I would rather offline myself that let anything happen to you. If it comes to that, so be it. But you will live to see your best friend's wedding, your 25th birthday, your first sparkling, and much more."

I stared at him, no longer crying. I was shocked and touched. "You would really do that for me?"

He nodded. "Without a second thought."

I smiled, and wiped away the tears. "I would do the same."

He smiled softly. "I know. That's why I have to make sure we don't get into life-threatening situations."

I just smiled at him for a few moments. Then, "I….love you, 'Cade. A lot."

"I know. I love you, too." He studied my face for a moment, an almost sad expression on his faceplates. "Please, whatever happens, don't forget that."

I stared at him. "I would never forget, Barricade. You are my soul mate."

For a few minutes the silence covered us. Then Barricade laid back down, with me on his chasis. I felt the thrumming of his spark, I heard his systems whirring, I heard his vents cycling. This was how it was supposed to be. Calm and peaceful, me and 'Cade.

Then Barricade laughed, disrupting the silence. "What?" I asked.  
He shook his helm. "Everything. I'm here at the Autobot base, half-guest, half-prisoner, you're sentenced to death, there's only two mechs on base that trusts me, not including you and Taylor, I'm fighting against my old faction, you've got a dead mech in your head, I'm probably Traitor #1 at the Decepticon base, and Taylor might be in love with Sunstreaker."

"You noticed, too, huh?"

"I noticed it like how I would notice Starscream singing 'Poker Face' outside of the base hangar."

That made me laugh.

He smiled. "It is nice to hear your laugh again."

I laid my head down on the warm metal. "Thanks, Barricade."

Barricade seemed to hesitate. Then he asked, "Nicole, if you don't mind me asking, where did you transwarp when you left Prime's office?"

I didn't say anything.

"You don't have to tell me."

I shook my head. "No, you have the right to know. I….transwarped to my parent's graves."

He left it at that.

We were silent for so long that I had thought he had fallen into recharge. I jumped when he said, "I talked to Prime."

"Optimus?" I said in surprise. "What did ya'll talk about."

"You sound like Taylor."

" 'Cade. Answer the question. I swear you get sidetracked easier than Taylor, and that's saying something."

Barricade chuckled, but did as I had asked. "When Ratchet and I heard that you had transwarped, we had to meet in Prime's office. There we tried to figure out where you were, and how to prevent the AllSpark from taking over your mind. Then we learned that Bumblebee had found you. We started to leave to wait for you, but Prime stopped me, saying that he wanted to talk to me."

He was silent for a moment. "And?" I asked, looking at him curiously.

"_And_," Barricade said teasingly, "he asked me how in the world I put up with you."

I mockingly glared back. "Sure he did, Barricade."

My spark mate laughed, then got serious again. "What he really asked was how I met you. Again."

"What was his reaction?"

"Well, at first he flinched when I said I hit you. Then he laughed when I-"

"You so did not tell him about the phone call."

He didn't say anything.

"Oh my God." I said, horrified. "You _did_."

Barricade snorted. "Yeah, and he laughed."

"He did not."

"He did."

I glared at him. "Thanks, Barricade."

"Your welcome, love."

I couldn't help it. My face split into a smile. "So what else did you talk about?"

"Prime asked me why I decided to quit the Decepticon cause."

This was something I had been asking myself for a while now, too. "Why did you quit?"

Barricade sighed. "This war has been going on for too long. I have forgotten what we are even fighting for. Cybertron is a dead planet. When we left, the planet had just begun to heal itself. It will take many more years for Cybertron to heal itself fully. And even then, I would not return."

"Why?"

His bright red optics bore into my eyes. "Because I have you." He said softly. "I would not leave this planet for Cybertron if it meant leaving you here. And even if there was a way you could go with me, you would be unhappy."

I gave him an indignant look. "How do you know?"

He smiled softly. "Would you leave Taylor? Spice? Your human friends? Your home?"

I realized what he meant. I wouldn't be able to leave the place I call home, my friends, or any of it. I would miss the air, the water, the trees, hell, probably even the grass.

Propping my head in my arms, I looked at Barricade. "But don't you miss Cybertron?"

He looked wistful. "I do. Cybertron was once a beautiful planet. It may have not had any of the foliage like Earth does, but it was beautiful."

The longing in his voice made my heart ache. I wished with all of my heart that I could do something to help Barricade. There was too much sadness on the other end of the bond.

Suddenly his optics brightened. "But, as I said, I would rather stay here on Earth with you than return to a dying planet. I have grown to love Earth as I did Cybertron." Barricade looked at me. "Don't ever think I would leave you for anything."

"I don't." I whispered. "You care for me Barricade. I see that. You care for me unlike anyone else ever has. I care about you like I've never cared about anyone."

He closed his optics. "You're right. Love is a different kind of caring. A special kind."

Now it was my turn to close my eyes. I listened to Barricade's internal systems. The sound of life was soothing, and soon I was asleep.

* * *

For the first time since I found out about the Autobots, I slept without dreams.

It was so peaceful, I was disappointed when I woke up. I remembered where I was, then looked at Barricade. He was still recharging. I smiled. He looked cute when he was recharging. The stress, worries, and problems of daily life were gone, replaced by something I didn't see very often on 'Cade's face.

Pure relaxation.

I slowly eased myself off his chasis(I was surprised that he hadn't rolled over and, well, you get the point). Luckily, he didn't wake up. I jumped from the berth(I could just see Ratchet's glare in my mind) and made my way to the door.

I didn't transwarp. No, I needed to save all my energy for bringing Jazz back. If what Jazz said about me draining my life force when I tried something so big was true, I wanted to save up as much energy I could. I noted happily that my energy levels were full.

Then I stopped. I sounded like a mech or femme would check their Energon levels. Maybe Prowl was right for worrying about the AllSpark taking over.

Only as I started walking through the halls did I notice how quiet and empty the base seemed. I stopped. What time was it? I checked my phone. 2:38 a.m.

Briefly I wondered if it was a bad idea to do it so late. Or early? Then I dismissed the thought and continued to the storage room. I'm sure the procedure wouldn't be that loud.

'_Could ya call it somethin' besides procedure? Tha' sounds….painful.'_

'_Quit your whining, Jazz. I know what I'm doing.'_

'_Actually, ya don't.'_

I ignored him.

On the way there, my thoughts began to wonder. Would it hurt me when I brought him back? Would it hurt Jazz when he came back from the Matrix?

'_Prob'ly.' _I heard him huff.

'_Hey,_' I thought, annoyed, _'Do you wanna live or not?_'

I heard him curse at me in Cybertronian, huffing still. I smiled, knowing I was right.

After maybe 10 minutes, I found my way back to the old storage room. On the dust covered floor were the footsteps of Lennox, Epps, and my self. This time I had to transwarp up to the table Jazz was on.

I frowned at the dust covering Jazz's prone body. Too bad I hadn't brought a rag or something. After thinking about it for a minute, I took my sweatshirt off and started wiping dust off every part of bare armor I could see or reach with it.

When I was done, I observed my work. He certainly looked better. The whole thing had taken about 7 or 8 minutes. _'Well, Jazz? I couldn't reach inside the armor or vents, but I doubt there was much dust in there anyway.'_

'_Hmm. Not bad.'_

I rolled my eyes. _'Your welcome, idiot._'

'_I am not an idiot.'_

I ignored him and crawled on top of Jazz. It wasn't that hard. He was fairly small for a Transformer. I had a weird feeling that I had to open up his chest plates._ 'Jazz? A little help would be nice.'_

'_Jus' touch the platin''_.

I frowned at the weird advice, but did as he said. As my hand neared the silver armor, I felt the necklace heat up, and then a surge of energy raced through my arm. Small little bolts of blue electricity shot out of my fingers.

The bolts made contact with the armor, and I scrambled backwards as Jazz's chest plating opened with a hiss.

For a moment I just stared at the now open chasis. Then I asked out loud, "Can I shoot lightning out of my eyes, too?"

Jazz was silent for a moment. Then, _'What the frag gave you that idea?'_

"No, I'm serious, can I?"

'_No, Nicole, you can't.' _He said with a sigh.

"Oh. Well, that sucks, I guess. But I can send lightning through my fingers?"

'_No. All ya can do is send electric shocks powerful 'nough to knock a mech out.'_

"That's cool. Can I try it on you when you're alive again?"

'_Pit no.' _Then as if it was an after thought, he asked, _'Are you twisted, crazy, or kidding?'_

"All of the above. Okay, Jazz. Here's the big moment. Be waiting at whatever door or gateway or, well, whatever it is that you have to go through to get here."

'_Are you sure ya wanna do this?'_

I ignored him. Instead, I focused on poring as much energy I had in me into my hands. This took concentration, so I closed my eyes. I pictured blue liquid energy flowing out of the necklace, through my arms, and into my hands until I had a bright blue ball of energy in my hands. All the while, I was watching my energy levels drop.

Then I opened my eyes, and almost dropped the ball of energy I was holding.

I did it. I really did it.

I studied the ball. So this was what Jazz's new spark was going to be. A bunch of energy from me. There was always going to be a piece of me in Jazz.

Carefully, I leaned over the spark chamber. I knew that once I let go of Jazz's spark, I would probably pass out. It seemed that I was doing that a lot lately.

Lowering the ball of energy, I took a deep breath. Then I let go of it.

There was an immediate reaction, in both me and Jazz.

The second the ball left my hand, I fell over to the side of Jazz, closest to the door. All of the energy and will that had kept me going was gone, now in the form of Jazz's spark. I could tell that I was moments away from, once again, passing out.

I had fallen on my side, so that I could see Jazz's side. As I saw the blackness began to close in, I watched as Jazz's body started jerking and bucking as all the systems turned back on. His wiring glowed beneath his armor with a weird blue light, and for a second I worried that something would go wrong and no one would know but me. And I would be passed out. Not much help.

I closed my eyes.

'_For Prowl's sake,'_ I thought,_ 'I hope this work's.'_

Then I passed out.

* * *

Jazz had been right to worry. About a lot of things.

First thing he had worried about:

It would hurt like Pit.

And it had. Leaving the Matrix and rejoining the onlined felt like being burned from the inside out. Painful for sure. All of his systems rebooting, what Energon he had left pumping through his tubing, his systems struggling on that Energon.

It was unlike anything he'd felt before.

Second thing:

Nicole would kill herself in the process.

It sure looked that way. He'd seen her fall sideways in a crumpled heap the second she let go of the ball of energy. In fact, he thought he had seen a white streak form in her hair faster than possible when she had been pouring the energy out of herself.

Jazz hadn't known that was possible. In fact, it shouldn't be.

And third:

What the slag was he supposed to do when he saw the others again?

Oh yeah, just walk into the Med bay, "Hey, Hatchet! Miss me? I know I been offlined for twenty-somethin' years, but, hey, 'm better now!"

He would have every Autobot on base after his aft, thinking he was either a ghost or Decepticon phony.

And he really didn't want to be shot at by Ironhide. Not right after waking up.

But despite all of that, he was _alive_. He really couldn't complain.

After a few minutes, he could online his optics. Jazz couldn't feel anything but the occasional twitch. All he could tell was that he had stopped jerking.

So, Jazz waited.

Every now and then he would try and move. After five minutes, he could move his helm. After ten minutes, he could wiggle his digits, and twitch his pedes. At fifteen minutes, he could slowly bend his arms(it hurt too much to move them fast).

Then Jazz tried to move his legs. No such luck. He huffed, then winced. Nicole had been wrong. There was a lot of dust in his vents, circling through every time he blew in or out. Very uncomfortable.

Jazz tried sitting up. It didn't work out to well. He heard his back armor creak, and was fairly sure something snapped. Jazz fell back on the table, mindful of the human girl beside him, and waited for a few more minutes.

* * *

Prowl was the only one awake at this hour, doing datapads that weren't due for 6 days.

He had taken a small break, something he hadn't done in a long time. Thinking about Jazz, he glanced at the small screen focused on the storage room.

He did a double take.

Why was it...black?

Sure, static filled the screen already, but that was only because some wire in the camera was loose. The camera was still on, just not broadcasting. For it to have gone black meant it went dead, or was drained of energy.

Prowl checked the halls outside storage room. Empty and dark. Wait, dark? All of the lights ran on a generator, and even if that shut off, there was an emergency generator.

The Praxian checked the other hallways surrounding the room. He measured the distance, and found that the lights in the halls were off in every direction for 100 feet. But when it hit 101feet, the lights were on.

Strange.

Then Prowl looked closer at the footage from the outside hallway of the storage room. Wait, there was blue light…coming from under the door of the storage room.

Something was going on here.

Prowl's first logical idea was Decepticons.

Without a second thought, Prowl was walking towards the storage room weapons drawn.

Not four minutes later, the tactician was outside the door, and he could hear small, strange, shuffling noises. He reached for the door, but paused. Should he comm. Optimus and the others. It was most likely Ravage, or some other 'Con spy. Still, it wouldn't hurt.

Prowl was just beginning to think of what he would send when he turned the knob and walked in, cannons poised to kill.

Then what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.

A silver mech with a bright blue visor was sitting up on the table, kicking his legs back and forth over the side as if trying to regain feeling in them. Beside him was a crumpled heap of Nicole.

Jazz.

Jazz, who was supposed to be offlined.

Jazz, his would-have-been bonded.

Jazz, who was sitting _alive_ in front of him.

Prowl felt so many affections at once, he couldn't count them all. But the ones he noticed the most were joy, confusion, and longing.

Then the silver mech froze, as if realizing that someone was in the room with him. He looked up, surprised at who had walked in. "Oh, heya, Prowler! Miss me?"

Prowl could feel the glitch coming.

He remembered to send the comm. just as he felt his battle computer glitched out.

* * *

Jazz sighed, frustrated.

So far, he still couldn't walk, Nicole was still passed out, and now the mech who found him was not only his sparkmate, but the only mech he knew with a battle computer that tended to glitch out at the worst of times.

Jazz sighed again. He just hoped Prowl was okay…..

And that he had sent a comm. message to someone.

* * *

Barricade POV

I onlined my optics at the beeping of a comm. message.

I sat up when I saw who it was. ~_Ratchet?~_

_~Yes, now get your aft over here. We have…..a situation.~_

_~Decepticons?~_

_~Uhh…no. But you might want to come check on Nicole.~_

I froze in mid step on my way to the door. _~Nicole? What's wrong with her?~_

_~She may have….er….Well, just come see for your self.~_

_~Fine. Where?~_

* * *

Jazz was still trying to figure out why he hadn't regained feeling in his legs. Everything had started working perfectly, with the exception of his legs.

He leaned down and checked the wiring. Ah, there was the problem. A few wires on each leg were cut. Chewed through was a better term. Jazz shuddered at the thought of an Earth mouse crawling over his frame. Well, Ratch wasn't going to be happy.

At that moment the lights in the hall came back on, and he could see Prowl better. His sparkmate was lying half way in the room and half way into the hall.

Then he heard voices, then the voices turned into shouts, and then he heard the thundering of many footsteps. Jazz watched as Optimus, Ratchet, and Ironhide stopped beside Prowl's still body.

It only took a few seconds for them to all look in the now open room.

Jazz waved at them cheerfully. "Hey, guys! Miss me?"

The look on their faces was priceless.

It took them a full minute to register what they saw. Optimus was the first to recover. "Jazz?"

"The one an' only."

They still stared at him like he was a ghost. Jazz sighed. "I know I been offline for twenty somethin' years, but ya need to fix Prowl's glitch and examine lil' Nicky here. And I really wanna Energon cube."

They seemed to snap out of it just as more Autobots appeared. Jazz recognized Arcee, Bluestreak, and Bumblebee.

"What's wrong-" Bumblebee started to ask, then stopped, seeing Jazz. "What the frag? _Jazz_?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Ironhide muttered.

Jazz was just flat out annoyed now. "Snap outta it. Focus. Sure, I was jus' resurrected, but could ya get over that for a moment? Long 'nough to get ta the Med Bay? 'Cause I can't walk. Oh, and Nicole passed out here."

That seemed to snap them into action.

* * *

Barricade POV

When I got to the storage room, everything was in chaos.

Several Autobots were rushing around, all of them confused. There was a group of human soldiers looking tired and bewildered at the scene in front of them. Bumblebee and a mech named Bluestreak were trying to help a silver mech with a blue visor stand up. Every time they moved away from him, he would collapse. The mech looked familiar.

I looked around for Nicole, but I didn't see her. Now I was worried. The other end of the bond seemed dormant, like she was asleep.

"Barricade! Down here!"

I looked down into the worried face of Taylor. She was dressed in combat clothes. "What the frag is going on? Have you see Nicole?"

She just motioned for me to follow her. Taylor lead me into the storage room, were the lights were on, and in the middle was a table. On the table was Nicole.

She had taken off her hoodie. It was tossed to one side and dirty with dust. She was curled up asleep. Nicole appeared to be fine.

I felt Taylor tap my leg. "'Cade, can you lift me up there?"

I did as she asked, and the second she was out of my servo, she ran over to Nicole and knelt down to her. Taylor shook her shoulder. "Wake up, Nicole. Please."

The black haired girl just mumbled in her sleep.

Taylor made a whining noise, then looked at me. "She won't wake up, Barricade. Is she in a coma? If she is, we need Ratchet to look at her."

"I don't know, Taylor." I murmured. The last time I had seen Nicole, she had been with me in our room. I had thought she had fallen into recharge.

I held my servo out for Taylor. She climbed on, and I put her on my shoulder so I could carry Nicole. After picking up my sparkmate, I walked back out of the room and up to Prime, who was talking to two human soldiers.

Prime saw me, and turned to face me. "Barricade."

"Prime. Where's Ratchet? Nicole needs to be looked at. She wont wake up."

He sighed, looking tired. "He's preparing the Med Bay for Jazz, Prowl, and Nicole."

"Jazz?" I asked. Then the truth about why the silver mech was so familiar hit me. I turned around and stared at the mech.

He waved at me as best as he could, since he had his arms around the shoulders of Bluestreak and Bumblebee. "Yo, Barricade. Nice ta see ya 'gain."

I was still staring at Jazz. "How the Pit are you _alive_? Weren't you in Nicole's head or something?"

Jazz winced. "Ah, see I haven't really told 'em 'bout tha' yet. But as ta why I'm online, I'll explain tha' later."

I just shut my optics. "Nicole has something to do with it, doesn't she?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess ya could say she had a lil' somethin' ta do with it."

I shook my head, and just started walking to the Med Bay.

* * *

We all stared at Jazz, who had just finished explaining.

'We' being me, Taylor, Ironhide, Ratchet, Prime, Bluestreak, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Prowl. Ratchet had fixed Prowl's glitch and Jazz's legs, and they were currently holding servos. He had also scanned Nicole, and found that aside from being low on energy, she was okay. There was now a white streak in her hair. Ratchet said she just needed to rest for a long time.

Bluestreak tilted his head to the side. "So you're saying that your were in Nicole's helm this whole time and that she found your body and then resurrected you and now your alive and she almost drained her life force which is why she has a white streak in her hair and is in recharge?"

Jazz thought about that for a second, then said, "Yea, tha' pretty much covers it."

The only sound to be heard was Nicole's snoring.

* * *

Well, I hope this went beyond your standards!

Next Chapter: NICOLE TRAINS WITH PROWL AND JAZZ. WITH AN AUDIENCE.


	11. Boo, I'm a Ghost!

Chapter 11:

"What 'bout now?"

"No."

5 seconds later…

"How 'bout now?"

"No, Jazz."

5 seconds later…

"Now?"

"SLAG, JAZZ, SHUT THE FRAG _UP_!" Ratchet shouted, throwing a wrench towards the silver mech. Jazz ducked just in time. "Well, mech, I can't help it! I'm starving' 'ere, and yer denyin' my right to Energon!"

Ratchet glared. "Well, if you let me finish the scans, maybe we'd be done by now." Then the medic turned back around to the computer screen that monitored the results of Jazz's functions. "Annoying as ever…"

Taylor watched, amused. It seemed like there was a new light in every Autobot's eyes-optics, she corrected herself-since Jazz was back. The mech named Prowl certainly seemed happy. From what she had learned, they were sparkmates.

Taylor frowned. She still didn't understand that. Weren't they both mechs, or males in Earth terms? She'd ask Nicole-

Suddenly she was crushed by the fact that Nicole still had not woken up. Taylor felt her eyes hurt like she was going to cry, but she pushed that urge down. Ratchet said that Nicole would wake up sooner or later.

"Hey." She felt a small nudge against her arm. Taylor looked up into Barricade's concerned face. "You alright, Tay?"

She nodded but didn't say anything. Taylor had been surprised that Barricade was an alien robot that transformers into a Mustang, but she didn't think anything had really changed. 'Cade had seemed like a brother to her before, and he still did. Just a lot bigger, more metally, and a hellova lot more lethal brother.

Taylor looked down at Nicole. Nothing about her much different about her, except for the white streak in her hair and the absent confident smirk or scowl. Yes, Nicole sometimes seemed badass, but Taylor knew she was just a big softie with feelings on the inside. No matter how many times Nicole got annoyed with Taylor, she always stood by her, like a true friend and sister should.

The blonde smirked. Oh, the things they had been through. A light bulb went off. Maybe she could use some of their…._unusual_ situations as blackmail against Nicole. Revenge for every prank Nicole had ever pulled on her. The Autobots would surely find the stories interesting.

No matter how blonde she seemed, Taylor was smart. Smart and devious.

Taylor watched as Jazz bugged Ratchet some more. Prowl, who was watching also, glanced at Barricade, suspicion written all over his faceplates. Taylor sighed. 'Cade was going to need help convincing some Autobots and people.

Ratchet huffed, staring at the computer screen. Jazz peered over his shoulder, then whooped in glee. "Looks like I'm all free ta go!"

"Fine." Ratchet huffed again. "Looks like everything is fine. You can go get some Energon now."

Jazz glanced at Nicole, concern written plain on his faceplates, but it was gone in a second. A smile replaced it. "All thanks ta lil' Nicky here!"

Taylor smirked. "You know that she's gonna hate that name, right?"

He shrugged. "Annoyin' someone never bothered me before. Don't see why it should now."

Barricade snorted. "Nicole is a little vengeful."

Jazz shrugged off the warning. Then he looked at Prowl. "Ya got some time ta getta cube, Prowler?"

The tactician smiled. "Absolutely."

Taylor smiled. Personally, she had no problem with their relationship. That thing had never bothered her with humans. To Taylor, it was actually kind of cute. She liked seeing couples in love. She sighed thoughtfully. One day she hoped to meet her true love. Her mind wandered to Sunny. Whether it be mech or human.

Just as the door closed behind Prowl and Jazz, it opened again. Jazz stuck his helm in the doorway. "What do ya say, Barricade? I know ya haven't had anything for 'while. Bring Taylor with ya, too."

The Mustang glanced at Nicole worriedly, then back to Jazz. "I don't know-"

Jazz grinned. "Come on, 'Cade. The Hatchet may seem like an ole timer-"

"I heard that!" Came Ratchet's gruff reply from his office.

"-but he knows what he's doin'. Plus, Nicole's is a fraggin' fighter when it comes to bein' offlined."

That….only made Barricade look more worried.

Jazz winced. " 'Kay, maybe not the best thing ta say-"

"Ya think?" Taylor heard Ratchet's sarcastic remark from the office.

"-but Ratch will comm. ya the second somethin' changes. Woncha, Ratchet?"

"Sure." Ratchet said, sounded distracted.

Jazz shot a glare at the office door, but continued. "So, 'Cade, gonna come?"

Barricade looked at Nicole, seemed to think about it, then nodded. "Fine." He held his servo out for Taylor to climb into, and he lifted her to his shoulder.

They left the Med Bay and made their way through the base, which, only a few hours before had been empty. Now there was Autobots lingering in the halls, all of them talking about, well, Jazz and Nicole. Most of them hadn't even know that Nicole had arrived, and rumors were spreading fast about the fact that Nicole was the Host of the AllSpark, and had brought Jazz back alive. There was also talk about Barricade, the ex-Decepticon who had been brought to base. Many thought he had been brought in as a prisoner. And they also talked about a mech named Bumblebee. Taylor didn't know much about this Autobot, but she intended to talk to him in the future.

Of course, when they walked past these groups they all quieted down(except for a mech named Bluestreak; he kept on talking about how Barricade was a 'Con, and it took him a few seconds to realized everyone had stopped because said ex-'Con was behind him, glaring a hole into his helm). The main reasons they stopped was to say Hi to Jazz, or to growl at Barricade. Most did both.

Amazingly, Barricade managed to hold his temper. Taylor had learned to not piss off the Mustang. Not too much at least.

There were only a few mechs and even fewer femmes in the Rec. Room. They all quieted down for a few seconds when Jazz walked in, then they started cheering. When _Barricade_ walked in, they quieted down.

Taylor was only too aware of the stares as Jazz, Prowl, and Barricade got the Energon cubes(she had to admit, she was tempted to touch the stuff; seeing her face, 'Cade explained that it would burn her arm off; she decided to leave it alone for now). She breathed a sigh of relief as they sat down at an empty table in the far corner.

'Cade just sipped at his cube while Jazz talked on and on with Prowl about what he had missed and what the 'Cons had been up to lately. After about twenty minutes, Taylor began talking to Barricade about the Transformers and he explained the war that was going on.

The other Autobots in the room all left during those twenty minutes, and soon only Prowl, Jazz, Barricade, and Taylor were left. Barricade finished his explanation, and he had shut his optics for so long that Taylor thought he was asleep, or in recharge.

Suddenly the door opened, and a bright yellow mech with a little black walked in and looked around. Spotting the group, surprise seemed to show on his faceplates, and then the look hardened.

Taylor suddenly felt that something bad was about to happen.

The mech walked up to the small group. His expression seemed to soften. "Hey, Jazz. Nice to have you back."

Jazz, Prowl, and Barricade all looked up in surprise. They obviously hadn't heard him enter.

Jazz grinned and stuck his servo out. "Hey, Bumblebee. Good ta see ya 'gain."

Bumblebee continued to chat with Jazz and Prowl, then he looked at Barricade, resentment written plain on his faceplates. "Barricade. Harass any humans lately?"

Barricade met his look squarely. "I don't want to fight with you. For Nicole's sake."

At the mention of Taylor's best friend, rage seemed to take over Bumblebee's faceplates. "I don't know how you tricked her into believing that you actually care, but it wont work on the rest of us."

Now Barricade seemed angry. "I never tricked Nicole. She's smart enough to tell if I was lying or not. And I _do _care. _I _don't run away from her when things get tough."

Bumblebee seemed to wince, but he hid it. "Sooner or later, she'll realize that you've lied this whole time. She'll realize that you're the same 'Con you were all those years ago when we arrived on Earth."

Barricade stood up to meet his optics. "Don't you fragging get it? Nicole is not stupid. She knows I've changed. And she believes me. If I wanted to hand her over to that fragger Megatron, I could've done that four years ago! And I didn't even know she was the Host! Sure, I knew she had a shard of AllSpark, but even then I didn't try to give her to Megatron!"

"You tried to kill her parents!"

"But I didn't, did I? You stopped me, and I have to thank you for that. Other wise she would never had been born, and I probably wouldn't be here. I love her, and I'm not afraid to admit it!"

At that, Bumblebee seemed ready to fight Barricade, but Taylor jumped up in front of the yellow mech. "Hey, you!"

Bumblebee looked down at her. "What?" He snapped.

Taylor was pretty pissed off by now, because she didn't have a clue what they were talking about. Nicole had never told her about how her parents died, but that was because she didn't remember either.

But here was this mech, Bumblebee, who looked ready to get in a fist fight with 'Cade. Taylor wouldn't let that happen. No way in hell.

"Just who do you think you are?" She asked him.

He bent down to her level. "I was Sam's guardian."

Oh. Barricade had explained what a guardian was. Still, that didn't give him the right to jump on 'Cade.

She gave the mech a look that would've sent humans running. "What gives you the right to jump on to 'Cade like that?"

The mech glared back. "He's a Decepticon."

Just as Barricade growled behind her, Taylor had said, "He's not a 'Con, you idiot! What will it take to drive that home into your metal head?"

Normally, she wouldn't have been blunt(especially with an alien robot that was more than 100 times bigger than her), but that southern streak in her was waking up, and that meant the temper was coming with it, too. Never mess with an angry country hick, Taylor had told Nicole one time.

They all stared at her in shock, but then Jazz burst out laughing, and all of them smiled, even Barricade.

Taylor stared at them, offended and shocked. How come every time she got angry and said something bold, everyone laughed or smiled?

She glared at 'Cade, with her arms crossed, and he just shook his helm, chuckling. "Sorry, Tay, but that was….pretty bold. And in a southern accent…." He just shook his helm again.

Jazz was still trying to stop laughing. "Does….she always talk like tha' when she's mad?"

"Pretty much," Barricade muttered.

Taylor glared at him more. "Asshole."

"Bitch."

"Jerkface."

"Jessica Simpson."

"Hey!" Taylor shouted, uncrossing her arms and stamping her foot. "No fair! I do not look like Jessica Simpson!"

Jazz tilted his helm a little, and his visor dimmed for a few seconds, then it brightened. "Taylor, I'm inclined ta disagree. Ya do look like 'er."

Then he projected a hologram of her onto the table, beside Taylor. There _was_ a striking resemblance. "I so do not look like her…"Taylor huffed, once more crossing her arms.

After a few more minutes of debate over whether Taylor looked like Jessica Simpson, Barricade once again looked to Bumblebee. "So, do you want to fight, or try to get along for Nicole's sake?"

Bumblebee stared at him for a long time. Then, "I will try to get along for now. But unless you can prove to me that you've changed and do love Nicole, I won't trust you."

"How the frag am I supposed to do that?"

Bumblebee smirked. "Figure it out." Then he nodded to Prowl and Jazz, said "Bye, Jessica Simpson," to Taylor, and walked out of the room.

When the door closed, a silence hung in the air.

Then, "Well, I think tha' went fairly well."

"Jazz…" Barricade, Prowl, and Taylor moaned.

* * *

Nicole POV

I dreamed about a lot of things. Mainly memories of the AllSpark.

I saw the Thirteen Primes, as they walked upon Cybertron in it's Golden Age. Barricade was right. Cybertron was beautiful.

Then time sped forward a few millennia.

The tall metal spires of Iacon Labs gleamed in the light of the sun(a different sun, a sun from another solar system), which could be seen from Cybertron like it was seen from Earth. Cybertron's two moon stations orbited like it would on Earth. Mechs and femmes, in alt forms and bi pedal mode, traveled through the streets that were cleaner than an Earth highway. Then I saw the city of Vos, the Seeker city. Seeker's flew in every direction, all different colors. Once or twice I thought I saw Starscream or one of his trine mates, but I couldn't be sure. I saw the Hall of Records, where the AllSpark told me that Optimus had worked before the war. I smirked. The great Optimus Prime had been a librarian.

I even saw a version of an Earth….daycare? Sparklings, younglings, and a few grown mechs and femmes were out in a playground made of metal (like everything else). There was a weird version of swings, see saw, slide, and more.

Interested, I drifted closer. I looked at every sparkling, and knew each of their names. I stopped short when I recognized two sparklings that seemed to be best friends. It was Jazz and Optimus. I knew they had been long time friends, but….this was a long time. They were playing a game of tag, it looked like. Optimus was red and blue, but without the flame design. Jazz was still silver, with a bright blue visor and little audio horns. I couldn't help but think they looked cute.

Just as I started to drift closer to watch, the AllSpark pulled me back. _That's enough for now, little one._ I heard a voice.

I stopped short. Had I just heard the AllSpark _speak_? To me?

Most certainly strange.

But I didn't have time to think about it, because at that moment, the AllSpark decided it was time for me to wake up.

I felt my self wake up, but I didn't open my eyes. Everything was quiet, save the occasional beep. There was that clean smell, like a hospital. Or a Med Bay. I was freaking hot, too. There was something, blankets most likely, laying on top of me.

I tried to move my hand, but it felt as heavy as a sledge hammer. I sighed and waited, my eyes still closed.

So, I thought, let's think about why your in this position, Me.

Jazz. I had resurrected Jazz or at least I thought I had. Something could've gone wrong, or all that energy wasn't enough to support Jazz's new spark and he never made it back from the Matrix. I wondered how many people I woke up. Hmm. Now _that's_ something I'd like to know.

I tried humming a song, but my throat felt raspy, so I settled for playing it in my mind. After ten minutes, I was able to finally lift the damn blankets that felt like they weighed 50 pounds. Slowly, I slid across the metal berth. All of my clothes and my hair were soaked from sweat. I was going to kill whoever thought it was okay to put twenty blankets on me.

It was only when the sweat started to chill my skin did I grab one of the blankets, deciding that maybe it had been a good thing that they had put a blanket on me.

Looking over the edge, I considered transwarping, but after checking my energy readings, I decided that maybe that wouldn't be the best decision. So, instead I jumped, which made the blanket spread out like a cape.

I landed pretty softly, only making a soft thump sound. Then I began my way across the Med Bay to the doors.

Soon I was outside and heading to the cafeteria, with the blanket draped around me like a cloak. I probably looked like a friggin' ghost with black sweaty hair. I grimaced. I needed a shower. Right after I ate something.

Only then did I consider if I should've talked to Ratchet first. What time was it? I looked at clock on the wall of the hall way. 10:14. Morning or night?

Shrugging, I continued. I saw a few groups of Autobots and soldiers, but I easily avoided them. I didn't want to be seen. The dreams I had had made me want to be alone. Only once did a lone soldier see me, and he must've been a new recruit, because when he saw me, he dropped the clipboard he was holding and took off in the opposite direction. That made me crack a weak smile.

After a few minutes of avoiding people and aliens, I finally found the cafeteria. It was empty, which probably meant that either it was nighttime, almost 24 hours since I had passed out, or the soldiers ate a really early breakfast. Judging by the quiet of the base, I'm guessing it was nighttime. I really _had _slept along time, if that was the case.

I easily broke the code on the kitchen door with a small shock of AllSpark energy. It was pretty neat. After doing that, I went in and started searching the refrigerators.

Two bananas and three warmed-up hamburger patties later…

I was still stuffing my face when all of a sudden the kitchen door burst open and in came 5 men in SWAT gear, all of them with guns pointed at me. I froze with my fourth hamburger patty halfway in my mouth.

Then I recognized Simmons as the one man in front. He was staring at me shocked. "Nicole?"

I stuffed the rest of the patty in my mouth and wiggled my fingers at him. "Boo. I'm a ghost."

Several questions and shouted sentences later, I was sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria, eating a ham sandwich I had found in plastic wrap. Wasn't that bad of a sandwich, really.

Everyone was glaring at me, including Simmons. I stared back. "What?" I asked, still holding the sandwich. He glanced at said food, then continued to glare at me.

I looked at the sandwich, then held it out to him. "Bite?"

Simmons looked aghast at me. "Young lady, you are in a lot of trouble!"

I shrugged and took another bite. "Your loss."

In the end, Simmons threw his hands up and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving me with a bunch of unfamiliar soldiers.

After I finished my sandwich, I checked my energy levels, then transwarped back to the kitchen, grabbed a water bottle, and transwarped back before the soldiers noticed.

Not long after that, the door burst open, and in walked a pissed off Ratchet, Barricade, Bumblebee, and Ironhide.

Well, I'm in deep shit, I thought as they all started yelling at once.

It was actually interesting to watch them shout about something different at the same time. Ratchet was yelling that I should've informed someone that I was awake, and should've waited to eat under his direction. Barricade was saying that he had been worried out of his processor when he heard what I had done, and had nearly had a spark attack when I had disappeared. Bumblebee was yelling that I didn't know how much trouble that I had caused around the base, with the whole-resurrecting-Jazz thing(so it _had_ worked; I was pleased with my self). I noted sourly that _he_ didn't say a thing about how worried he had been, even if he had been worried.

Ironhide was the funniest though. He would start shouting about me being in so much trouble, then would start stuttering because he was so mad, and then start all over again, but he would be saying how fragging worried they had all been. Then he'd start stuttering again.

What I would've given for a camera.

I just sat through it calmly. I felt strangely…..happy. Happy and enlightened. But then I noticed with a small frown that my water bottle was empty, and transwarped to get another one. Not a thing had changed when I got back.

After a few minutes, they finally shut up, their fans in overdrive trying to cool them all off. They all glared at me.

Ironhide was the first to speak. "You are in so much trouble, Nicole Witwicky."

I smiled at them cheerfully. "I know."

They all gave me strange looks. Bumblebee asked, "Are you okay?"

I nodded, then wiggled my fingers at them and said, "Boo. I'm a ghost."

Then I erupted into a fit of giggles.

The more sensible part of me said, Ratchet must've drugged you. Oh great, my conscious thought. I'm going to act like a drunk Taylor.

Barricade looked at Ratchet accusingly. "You drugged her, didn't you?"

Bumblebee and Ironhide looked at Ratchet with the same accusingly look.

Ratchet glared back. "Maybe." When they continued to glare at him, he started to act defensive. "I only injected enough sedative so that she'd sleep longer and get more rest." He looked down at me, and I waved. "But, apparently, the AllSpark made the drugs ineffective, so she woke up early.

But I guess it didn't _totally_ made the sedative ineffective, otherwise she wouldn't be acting like…."

"She was smoking crack?" I heard a familiar voice behind me, and I turned to see Leo.

I waved at him. "Hi, Leo. I'm a ghost."

"I see that…." He said sitting down beside me.

* * *

Barricade POV

I had to admit, the drugged-up Nicole was pretty strange.

I'd only seen her drunk once or twice, at parties, and even then she had kept it under control. Though I guess that was because the AllSpark had interfered with the effects of the liquor. Now, she acted happier than I'd ever seen her.

At the moment, she was experimenting the new power that had enabled her to bring Jazz back to life. She'd open her hand, and a small ball of energy would be sitting in her hand. Then she'd close it, and it'd be gone.

I still didn't understand why she kept saying, "Boo. I'm a ghost" to everyone. When the two soldiers, Lennox and Epps had walked up, she did the same thing. They thought she was drunk.

Ratchet and Ironhide were arguing about if he should've drugged her in the first place, Prime was trying to get them to stop, with a look on his faceplates that said he dealt with this often. Bumblebee was standing off to the side, watching Nicole make an idiot out of herself. I didn't understand why he hadn't talked to her since she had been found in the kitchen. He acted almost…..afraid to talk to her.

At that moment the cafeteria was flung open and a blonde blur ran in and _shot straight over the table_, tackling Nicole to the ground. After a second of her high-pitched squealing, Taylor finally got off Nicole, saying at least ten words a second. At first Nicole looked cross-eyed, then she stared at Taylor. Then she started laughing, not the weird giggling, but her more sober laugh.

Taylor stared at her, then helped her off the ground and hugged her again. "God dammit, Nicole. You scared me so much. You're a freakin' idiot."

"Boo. I'm a ghost," Nicole said, after hugging her back.

Taylor gave her a weird, then looked at Leo. "Is she drunk?"

The human shook his head. "Nope, just drugged up. It's actually pretty funny, considering the last time I saw her she was a kid."

Then the Transformer-sized door opened and Prowl and Jazz walked in. After seeing the bizarre scene in the cafeteria, they walked over to where we were.

Once again, Nicole greeted them by saying she was a ghost.

They stared at her for a moment, then Prowl looked at me. He looked a bit stunned. "What the frag is wrong with her?"

Jazz was still staring at Nicole, amused. "Releasin' all tha' energy musta messed her up a bit."

I sighed. "No, Ratchet had given her a drug so she might rest longer. But, apparently, the AllSpark made the drugs ineffective…" I watched as Nicole launched into another fit of giggles for no apparent reason. "Well, ineffective to some extent, at least."

Jazz smirked. "How long 'xactly will she act like this?"

"Ratchet said it should wear off soon."

"Hmm. Well, in tha' case I guess I better take a few pictures for black mail later-" He stopped as an empty water bottle hit him smack in the helm.

We all looked down at Nicole, who was scowling. "Jerk."

Jazz threw his hands up. "What the frag did ya do tha' for?"

She looked smug. "_You_ didn't thank me for bringing you back to life."

Jazz's smiled and bent down to her level. "Well, let me thank ya then, for bringin' me back." He lightly tapped her head. "Much better than bein' in yer head the 'hole time."

She held her head. "Are you saying my head's not good enough for you?"

Prowl also bent down. "Thank you, Nicole." He said softly. "I will be forever in your debt for bringing Jazz back. If there is ever anything I can do for you, tell me."

Nicole smiled, looking almost sad. "Your both welcome. I'm sure that if the positions were switched, and 'Cade was dea-" She stopped, wincing, then said, "I'm sure if the positions were switched, and 'Cade was in Jazz's place, you would've done the same thing." At the mention of my name, she looked up and smiled at me. "Sorry for scaring you."

I sighed. "That's alright. You did the right thing, bringing back Jazz." I bent down and offered my servo to her, and she climb on, blanket and all. I put her on my shoulder. "Besides, it's really hard to stay mad at you when you act like your drunk."

She laughed, then leaned over and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Oh, come on, Barricade. I'm not that drugged up."

I smiled softly as she talked with Jazz and Prowl some more. Then I felt as if I was being watched, so I looked around. My smile vanished when I saw Bumblebee was watching me with a frown.

I sighed and forced myself to look away. I didn't know how I would prove that I really loved Nicole to him, but I would, one way or another.

* * *

Nicole POV

I rubbed my eyes, still sleepy.

After getting the damn mess settled, Ratchet had taken me back to the Med Bay, scanned me, and then deemed me perfectly healthy(aside from a case of stupidity, as he put it). Then Barricade and I went back to his quarters, and I slept off the effects of the drug till noon, at that point which Barricade had left to get more things settled out with Optimus. So I was all alone and dreaming more about Cybertron in it's Golden Age when Prowl walked in and woke me up, saying it was time for me to start working on controlling the AllSpark memories.

And now here I was, in the training room, with Prowl and Jazz.

The two mechs seemed joined at the hip, and I was guessing they were probably going to be like that for the rest of the time. It seemed they were trying to make up for whatever moment they had missed since Jazz had left with Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Ratchet to find the AllSpark. Prowl seemed happier than I had ever seen him.

Several other Autobots and soldiers who had been training had stopped and walked over to watch us. Watch _me_, I reminded myself.

"Nicole, are you even listening?"

I was jerked out of my thoughts as Prowl frowned down at me. "Er, sorry Prowl. What did you say?"

I heard the Corvette twins behind me, snickering. "She was in a completely different world, Prowl. You might have to say things _slowly_." I heard Sunstreaker say.

I turned around and glared at him. "Shut it, Sunshine. I wouldn't be talking."

As I turned back around, I heard Sideswipe laughing at his twin, while Sunny started protesting at his nickname. "Okay, Prowl, I'm listening."

Prowl, instead of saying anything, frowned at the crowds behind me. "It is not logical to even try to help you while we have a crowd watching."

So instead of re-explaining to me what to do, he and Jazz shooed off the crowd. As it turned out, it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Most of the Autobots and soldiers had learned to fear Prowl's wrath, as Jazz jokingly put it later.

After that was taken care of, Prowl stood in front of me again. "Now," He said, irritated, "we can continue. Sit down."

Without asking every question that popped up in my mind, I sat criss-crossed on the floor. Prowl did the same, and Jazz started to when his optics went dark.

Then they onlined again and he sighed. "Sorry, Prowler, but Prime just asked me ta meet 'im in his office. Looks like I'll have ta miss out on this training session, Nicky." He said, smiling.

I scowled at him. "Please do not start that nickname, Jazz. Soon every one will be calling me that."

"Whatever ya say, Nicky." Then Jazz leaned down and kissed Prowl. "See ya later."

After Jazz had left, Prowl finally looked back to me. "Now, Nicole. Have you ever meditated?"

"Meditated? No."

He smiled. "Well, this might be hard on the first try, then. Meditation is supposed to help you get your thoughts in order. You need to close your optics first." I did. "Good. Now, clear every thought you have, and just let your mind be blank."

I tried, but things kept popping up. It was pretty damn hard, let me tell you. The AllSpark memories kept worming into my mind, and random thoughts, like about Barricade and Taylor went sailing through my mind.

I started to give up and opened my eyes, when Prowl said, "Whatever happens, keep your mind blank, and your eyes closed."

"But I can't!" I argued. "My damn mind wont stay blank."

I heard Prowl sigh. "Fine. Pretend there's a chalk board or slate in front of you. There's lot's of writing on it. Wipe your hand across it. Wherever you hand goes, the writing disappears."

I did as he said. It helped, and my mind went blank, letting myself relax.

* * *

Prowl watched Nicole. She had her eyes screwed shut, looking frustrated. Then all of a sudden, her faceplates relaxed.

Prowl smiled. She had done as he had said, and now she was in the meditation state. Or she was asleep. He frowned. Only one way to find out.

_~Twins.~_ He said through a comm. Link. _~I need you in the training room now.~_

_~I thought you kicked everyone's afts out.~ _Prowl heard Sideswipe.

_~This is an order.~_

Prowl heard Sunstreaker snort. _~Fine. We'll be there.~ _

Fifteen minutes later(Prowl was sure they made him wait on purpose), the Twin of Terror walked in. They glanced at Nicole, then back to Prowl. "Did you finally get her to listen?" They both asked.

"Yes. But what I asked to come here for is that I need you to make as much noise as you can."

They both looked stunned. "What?" They asked simultaneously.

Then Sideswipe pointed at Nicole, who was still sitting on the ground, no have moved at all. "Won't that disturb her?"

Prowl shook his helm. "Not if she is doing it right. I just need you to make a lot of noise."

They both looked at him like he had gone insane. Finally Sunny seemed to realize that Prowl meant it. "What's in it for us?"

Prowl gave them a stern look. "If you value your high-grade stash, you'll do as I ask."

The twins glanced at each other, then nodded hastily.

Pleased with himself, Prowl began to walk out of the room. "Where are you going?" Sides asked.

Prowl stopped and half-turned back around. "I have reports to do, but I'll be watching from there." He answered, pointing to the security camera stationed in the far corner of the room. Then Prowl began to walk out the door. Suddenly he paused. "And whatever you do, don't touch her." He said, knowing they would anyway.

Then Prowl walked out.

For a moment, the twins just stood there, looking at the human girl on the ground.

"This….could be fun." Sunny said. Then they both grinned evilly.

_Thirty minutes later…_

Both twins glared at the girl on the ground.

So far, they had done target practice, set off several firecrackers and other fireworks they had bought, shouted at Nicole, wrestled, and even done a fragging simulation.

And she still hadn't moved.

It was like she couldn't hear them at all.

The only thing they hadn't done was touch her.

As if they had they same thought, they looked at each other. Then Sunny said, "I dare you to touch her."

Sides glared. "I dare you to."

Sunny snickered. "Scared?"

"Are you?" His twin asked.

Then they looked back at Nicole.

After a long moment, Sunny said, "Fine. We'll touch her at the same time."

Bending down, they both reached and poked her with a digit.

Suddenly her optics opened, and they were glowing a bright blue.

They both barely had time to say, "Frag" before she leapt up and touched them both, shocking them enough to knock them on their backs, unconscious.

Nicole looked down at them, then sat back down and resumed her meditating position.

* * *

Ratchet was wandering through the halls, currently looking for Ironhide who had missed his check up.

The one place he hadn't check was the training room.

Ratchet opened the door and stopped in surprise.

The Corvette twins were both on their backs, offline except for the occasional twitch or blue spark that bounced off their armor. Nicole was sitting in a meditating position with her eyes closed.

He blinked, then backed out of the room very slowly.

The medic probably should've checked on them, but it was probably just another stupid thing the twins had done that would just be a waste of his time. So he might just let whoever went in the training room next discover them, and _act_ surprised when he heard about it.

Because as far as he was concerned, he hadn't seen anything.

* * *

In Prowl's office, Jazz was laughing his helm off.

"Primus, Prowler," He gasped, his vents trying to cool his systems off, "I hope ya recorded tha'."

"Don't worry, Jazz." Prowl said with a small smirk. "I recorded it. One day it might just….accidentally find it's way on an email to everyone in the base."

* * *

Hey guys, sorry that this chap is shorter than others, but I the next chapter is going to be my favorite so far. I'm going to introduce a new, crazy, and wild character. Oh, and Wal-Mart employees will hate me in the next chap.

**NEXT CHAPTER: NICOLE, TAYLOR, BARRICADE, AND JAZZ TAKE A TRIP TO WAL-MART. THE MECHS LEARN NEVER TO LEAVE NICOLE AND TAYLOR ALONE IN SAID STORE.**


	12. Remembering Is Not Always A Great Thing

Chapter 11:

Nicole POV

"So you're saying that I did this? That's…..awesome."

We were in the Med Bay(this was becoming a habit) and the twins were laying on two berths, still locked up. Prowl explained what had happened, and how I had shocked the twins. Apparently, since I had been in the meditation state(as Prowl called it), I had only been semi-conscious, which is why I didn't remember attacking the twins.

Jazz and I thought it was flat out hilarious. Even Prowl smiled. Ratchet was just grumpy.

"I swear, Nicole Witwicky, if you or someone else comes to my Med Bay because _you_ did something stupid, I will personally make sure that you're assigned cleaning duty in the restrooms _and_ the wash racks." The neon medic grumbled, bent over Sides helm, trying to get the mech to reboot.

All I could do was grin. "Whatever you say, Ratch. But, honestly, it's not really my fault. After all, Prowl _did_ tell them."

The medic glared at me again. This time I felt a tingling sensation go over my body. Now it was my turn to glare. "Ratchet, no more scanning without permission!" In truth, I was more afraid of him discovering the bond I shared with Barricade.

Ratchet seemed to stiffen for a moment. I saw surprise written all over his faceplates. But instead of saying something about the bond, he said, "I'm a medic. I don't need permission." His tone was a little less gruff than before.

I silently thanked Ratchet, but the way he gave me the look told me he wanted to talk about it later.

At that moment both twins decided to wake up.

At first they looked confused, then slightly panicked when they saw how close I was to them. Both of them tried to scramble backwards, which resulted in them falling off of the berths.

"Scared much?" I asked, looking over the edge at them.

They both just stared at me, stuttering like fools, then Sideswipe pointed at me and shouted, "She-Devil!"

Oh, God, that was priceless.

After a few minutes, we all calmed down(well, down to some extent). Ratchet kicked us all out after giving the twins some painkillers. Prowl was looking fairly smug. When we were a fair distance away from the Med Bay, he said to the twins, "Now you know what it feels like to have a glitch. And anytime you need a reminder, I can always ask Nicole…."

"You just say the word, Prowl." I answered, with an innocent smile.

The twins watched me warily.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, I had taken a shower, dressed in combat clothes like Taylor's, and was currently trying to convince Optimus to let us go to Wal-Mart.

"Please?"

Optimus sighed. "What do you need at 'Wal-Mart'?" The tone in his voice told me he had never been to the store.

I held up my hands, counting off reasons. "1: Taylor will become sulky if she doesn't have more clothes than just camo. 2: She will bug me about it, and if I don't kill her first, she'll bug everyone else here. 3: I need to get things for Spice, like cat litter, food, a litter box….4: I need a toothbrush. 5: This sort of ties in with 1. The people at the party in our old apartment stole all our clothes. And there's a bunch more reasons that I can't think of right now."

The Autobot commander seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of letting us go. Ironhide, who had been listening quietly, decided to speak up now. "Prime, I'd let them go. But that 'Con stays here."

I growled and turned on Ironhide. "Ironhide. Wherever I go, Barricade goes. I don't like the idea of leaving him here, without me to get some of the thicker-helmed Autobots to back off."

Barricade, who had been standing behind me, growled. "I can take care of myself."

I turned around and pointed at him, annoyed. "Mute it, Barricade." Then I turned back to Optimus. "Please, Optimus?" Then a light bulb went off, and I added, "And we could take one of the other Autobots with us, if that makes you feel better. Like Jazz. I'd bet he'd like to get to see the rest of the world."

Speaking of the devil.

Said Autobot just happened to be walking past outside of Optimus' office. He backtracked and popped his helm in the doorway. "Did I hear my name?"

Once I explained to him what we were trying to get clearance on, his visor flashed brightly. "Sounds great ta me. Wha' 'bout you, Bossbot?"

Every head or helm in the room turned to Optimus. He looked a bit unsure, but said, "Fine. But if you see any Decepticon signatures, send a comm. and return to base immediately."

I would've done a victory dance right there if I hadn't had to go get Taylor.

* * *

As it turned out, the nearest Wal-Mart was thirty miles away.

We drove into town, and, after being surrounded by people in uniforms and giant alien robots, seeing the ordinary day-to-day people was somewhat…..strange. Was it bad that I expected to see an Autobot or tank around every corner?

But Taylor didn't give me time to stare because the second 'Cade pulled to a stop, she jumped out and drug me out. Just as Jazz and Barricade activated their holograms, she said, "Are ya'll hungry? I haven't had anything to eat in forever. Can we stop by Sonic or something?"

I stared at her. "Taylor," I said slowly, "It's 2:30. And we can't afford to waste time, with the 'Cons lurking around. Can you wait till we get back to base?"

"Nope." She sounded overly cheery about that.

I sighed, then looked at 'Cade and Jazz. "Can one of go to Sonic and fulfill Queen Taylor's wishes?"

Taylor gave me an indignant "Hey!", but Barricade nodded. "I'll go. I know what she'll want. Primus knows you eat there too much."

I shrugged, while Taylor glared.

Barricade smirked, and I gave him a peck on the cheek as his hologram got back in the driver's seat. Just as he was about to pull off, he stopped beside Jazz's hologram. "Whatever you do, don't leave them alone in Wal-Mart. I don't want a repeat of last time."

Then he drove off.

Jazz gave me a strange look. "Is tha' somethin' I want ta know 'bout?"

"Probably not. It involved the fish tanks and Tampons."

His eyes flashed while he looked up Tampons. Taylor began dragging me towards the entrance, babbling about things to get. I didn't notice Jazz wasn't following us until some lady almost ran into me with a cart.

I turned back around. Jazz was standing in the middle of the street, frozen. He seemed to snap out of it when some body honked and ran to catch up to us.

When he was back beside us, he shot me a glare. "What?" I asked.

"I really, really, _really_ didn't need ta know 'bout tha'." He said, shaking his holograms head. "A bad mental image."

"Hey, you asked. But, listen. Taylor and I'll go get some clothes and other necessities. You can observe or whatever. I'm pretty sure you'll find Wal-Mart interesting."

"But Barricade said-"

I held a hand up. "Jazz. Do you trust me?"

"Yeaaa…."

"Okay. So what's the harm in getting clothes and cat litter?"

In the end, I won the argument, and Jazz went to observe the human race in Wal-Mart. But before I left, he gave me a credit card. When I gave him a questioning look, he merely shrugged. "Prowler said tha' this goes ta yer parents bank account. Whatever's in there is yers, and has been since ya were 18."

I gratefully accepted the credit card. Another thing Prowl had done for me.

* * *

"Taylor, I really don't care which shampoo you get, as long as you get some."

Taylor and I were in the shampoo aisle, trying to pick some out. We had already gotten some clothes and cat stuff. Taylor's clothes consisted of skirts, t-shirts, jeans, and for pajamas, a large t-shirt and some shorts. My clothes consisted of t-shirts and jeans, pajamas similar to Taylor's. We each got new tennis shoes(well, Taylor bought sneakers and two pairs of high heels; I bought tennis shoes and was perfectly happy).

So here we were, with Taylor sniffing every bottle.

Sighing, I grabbed a bottle and an idea came to me.

I held the bottle out to Taylor. "Here, sniff this."

She leaned forward even more and sniffed. "Well, I wanted something more like cherry blossom-"

I accidentally-on-purpose squeezed the bottle too hard and shampoo squirted in her face.

We both froze, with shocked expressions.

I couldn't believe I had actually done it. Taylor couldn't believe there was shampoo in her nose and mouth.

Then laughter overcame me, and I had to bend over, I was laughing so hard. "Tay….the look…on your…..face…" I said between gasps.

Too late did I see the bottle that was pointed at me.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later and twenty bottles later….

Taylor slipped trying to get up. A woman and her son hurried past us, the mom saying something to her son about, "This is what happens when you hang out with strange crowds….."

I snorted, which was a bad idea since shampoo was in my nose. That woman had no idea how strange the crowd I hung out with was.

They were alien robots, after all. Can you get any stranger than that?

The floor was covered in shampoo, and we were no different. I had shampoo in my nose, mouth, eyes, and somehow, in my pants and shirt. Taylor was an exact copy, and she was hiccupping.

I stared at her from my splayed out position on the floor. "You swallowed it, didn't you?"

She nodded, looking miserable and pitiful with the added affect of hiccups.

I sighed. "Help me up."

All that came of that wonderful idea was both of us back on the floor, her laying across my stomach and a severe headache threatening to overcome my now sore head.

Suddenly an old woman and geeky teenager leaned over us. Both were dressed in Wal-Mart uniforms.

The old woman glared at me(why always me?). "See what idiots you have to deal with everyday once you start working here?" She said to the teenager, gesturing to _me._ (Not Taylor, who was still hiccupping)

I groaned and let my head fall back on the tile floor.

Jazz was going to kill us. Barricade was going to kill Jazz and us.

Optimus and Prowl were going to kill us all.

* * *

As it turned out, Taylor and I made a deal to clean it all up in exchange for not having to pay for the shampoo.

While mopping the mess up, I saw Jazz start to approach us. Then he saw what we were doing and walked right past us like he didn't know us. Coward. I was going to smack him on the back of the helm later.

And he had a freaking iPod in his hand. Where the hell did he get that?

But after thirty minutes of mopping, we finally got done and went to change into the clothes we had picked out. The bad thing was we had forgot to pay for them, and so we had to go up to the check out, and have them scan the clothes while we were wearing them. Awkward.

The whole time, Jazz and Barricade just decided to avoid us. I think dear old 'Cade would have cared a bit more if he had known that the geeky teenage boy had had to scan a tag on my butt.

So Taylor and I walked out of Wal-Mart with new clothes, new shoes, and shampooey hair.

The clothes I had decided to wear were simple. A new pair of dark jeans, a white scoop neck t-shirt that said, "People love to hate me", and my new black converses. I had also bought a black leather jacket.

Taylor had picked out a long sleeved black shirt, a light pair of jeans, and a similar denim jacket. She wore a new pair of black high heels.

We carried our bags out to where Jazz and Barricade had parked. Said Mustang was back, and Jazz's hologram was plugging in the iPod into the speaker system using some kind of cable. The second Taylor and I were within ten feet, Barricade's hologram appeared.

And did he look pissed.

"I told you not to leave them alone!" He pretty much snarled at Jazz.

The saboteur barely glanced at him. "I…er…got distracted. 'Sides, shouldn't ya be getting' on ta them? I ain't the one who fragged off Wal-Mart."

Taylor hiccupped.

Barricade seemed like he wanted to say something else, but just sighed and glared at me. "Who started it?"

Taylor pointed at me, then hiccupped.

I glared at her, then looked at my sparkmate. "So what if I did?"

"So what?_ So what?_ You are officially banned from Wal-Mart! Again!"

I waved it off, instead gesturing for Barricade to open the trunk. "Come on, 'Cade. It's not like they're going to take it to heart to make sure Taylor or me set foot inside that place again."

He didn't open the trunk. "That is the closest Wal-Mart to the base, and you can't ever buy from there again."

I shrugged. "I can just transwarp to the next nearest Wal-Mart. Besides, they aren't the only store around here."

Taylor hiccupped.

The bags were starting to get heavy. I grabbed the handle that would have opened the trunk and pulled. Barricade still didn't open it. Frustrated, I threw the bags down and kicked Barricade's bumper. "Dammit, Barricade! Why can't you just drop it?"

Instead of answering me, he just deactivated his hologram and opened the driver's side to the door. "Get in." Came the short, sharp reply.

I stared at the door, more than a little hurt and mad. What the frag had I done to upset him so much?

But instead of asking, I just got in after putting the bags in the trunk.

Rolling down the window, I started to ask Taylor if she was going to get in when she got in Jazz. Sighing, I rolled the window back up. I didn't really want to have to deal with Barricade alone.

The first few minutes of the drive were tense. I didn't know why though. What we did wasn't that bad. Sure, we wasted time. Time that the Decepticons could've found us and attacked us.

I sighed again. Okay, now I saw what he was getting worked up about.

So, that left it to me to apologize. I swallowed my pride and said, " 'Cade, I'm sorry. I guess what we did was stupid."

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then, a sigh came through the radio. "I just worry that the Decepticons will attack and we won't be able to hold them off. Being far away from the protection of the Autobots makes me edgy."

I smirked. "Is my big, bad sparkmate getting scared?" I asked, teasing.

"I'm worried that I wont be able to protect you." He said, in a dead serious tone.

I frowned. "Barricade, I'm pretty sure that we'll be okay. We'll be back at base soon."

"Anything could go wrong, at anytime-"

And then the road in front of us exploded.

* * *

Willow Turner was a grumpy 21 year old woman.

Today had been sucky, in her opinion, and then on top of that, when she arrived at the bus stop, _on time_, it wasn't there. After asking around, she had figured out that it had came early. So here she was, walking home.

She sighed and hefted her bag on her shoulder again. She had even tried hitch-hiking. But if Jason, her brother, were here, he would have smacked her on the back of the head for trying.

Willow lived by herself in a small house in the woods, a few miles from the city. Her brother was off on another mission for the military, and he was supposed to be gone for months. Their father had died of cancer when Willow was twelve, and then her mother had left them when she was fifteen. That was after….. No, Willow wouldn't think of her deceased twin.

Right now, she was living in a house with her brother, but he was gone most of the time and so she had the house to herself.

After her mother had left, Willow had started changing her appearance. She had had short dark brown hair, but she had dyed it blue today and it was short and spiky. Her eye color was dark brown also, but she was wearing fluorescent green contacts today. Her signature black leather jacket-something that had been her dads-protected her from the chilly wind as she walked down the side of the road. Everyday she wore a quirky t-shirt, and today was no different. The shirt was white with a dinosaur on it that said, 'Rawr!' She had on black skinny jeans with silver Sharpie doodles all over them. Her white tennis shoes were no different.

Willow ran a tattoo parlor that was known for its wonderful tattoos. She herself had none, because from what she had learned from customers, it hurt like hell.

Suddenly she heard a powerful car engine-maybe two-and moved farther to the side to avoid being road kill.

This move probably saved her life.

Before she knew what was happening, the road behind her exploded, and she was thrown to the side of the road, in the ditch. Heat waves fell over her. Willow vaguely thought she saw a ball of fire.

Her ears were ringing and her head felt like it was going to explode. She felt cuts on her legs, but her jacket had protected her from serious damage.

Squinting, Willow sat up.

And what she saw was even more shocking than the sudden explosion.

Five giant robots stood not 100 yards away, and they all had red eyes. Three of them had a triangular shape, like a Dorito. The fourth one had long tentacles that just flat creeped her out. The fifth one was huge, and had a curved and wicked looking cannon on it's right arm.

A silver and black Dorito robot was shouting something, but Willow's ears were hurting still. It pointed what looked like a gun at something to Willow's left.

She turned to see two cars, one a black with silver stripes Mustang GT and the other a silver Pontiac Solstice. Both of them were flipped over, and the door to the Mustang was open. A still form was hanging out. Willow struggled to look closer. It was a girl with long black hair.

Willow had one thought on her mind: What the _hell_ was going on?

She touched her ear tentatively. Whatever it was, she didn't want to be a part of it. Willow crawled further off the road to the tree line where she would be hidden.

Where she could watch.

Just because she didn't want to be a part of it didn't mean she didn't want to see it.

* * *

Nicole POV

I groaned.

There wasn't a part of me that didn't hurt. The last thing I knew, I was talking to Barricade, when the road in front of suddenly exploded. Like, _right in front of us_. Barricade had been blown backwards. If I hadn't had a seatbelt on, I would've been killed as we rolled. The Cybertronian armor that served as the outside of Barricade's alt form was the only thing that saved the roof from collapsing in.

Now I was hanging out of Barricade's broken window with a headache and a few broken bones. It didn't take long for my head to clear(probably thanks to the AllSpark). My first thought was Decepticons.

That gave me the will to lift my head and look around. When I saw everything, my first thought was: _Oh, shit._

Jazz looked no better than the situation Barricade and I were in. I couldn't see Taylor and that worried me.

But just as that thought went through my head, Taylor opened the door and fell out, her eyes wild. She looked around for a moment, saw me, and started to get up, but suddenly another missile exploded between us. The fire blocked my view of Taylor and Jazz.

I clenched my teeth and pulled myself out of Barricade's driver seat. Just as I did, I heard static go through the radio. "Nicole?"

"I'm okay, 'Cade. Just scratched up. You might want to transform now. Looks like the 'Cons decided to show their ugly faceplates…" I said, still trying to take an assessment of my injuries. But so far, everything just hurt.

Barricade transformed, and he looked slagged up. His armor was ripped and torn by shrapnel, and Energon was leaking from a few cut tubes.

"Where-"

He was cut off as another missile shot right past his helm. I curled up to protect my face from the blast. I heard him roar over the explosion. He sounded mad.

When I finally looked up, he was gone. There were still a few explosions, and smoke surrounded me everywhere. Shakily, I stood up. I need to find Taylor and get covered. I only hoped that Barricade or Jazz had commed someone.

Suddenly something wrapped around my waist, and before I could react, I was jerked off the ground roughly. I was pulled through the air so fast that I couldn't even scream. And then I was jerked to a stop, right in front of two burning red optics.

The AllSpark identified the 'Con as Soundwave. Then I noticed something. His servos were at his sides, so what was holding me up?

Then I saw those damned tentacles.

Ah, how I learned to hate those tentacles in a few seconds time.

Not saying anything to me, or showing any emotion for that matter, Soundwave said aloud, "Megatron: target acquired."

Now _that_ made me mad. "Hey, you fragging pile of scrap!" I shouted at him, grabbing the tentacle holding me, "I'm not going to go easy." Then I used the AllSpark energy and sent God knows how many volts of electricity through his system.

I would say that his optics widened as the tentacle loosened around me and Soundwave dropped, but I cant be sure.

But knowing my luck, the damn 'Con ejected on of his Casseticons. It was a panther-looking robot that had one red optic. And it's name was Ravage.

"Great." I muttered. "I like cats, but not the kind that want to eat your face off."

The metal kitty waved its tail for a moment, as if getting used to it's surroundings, then turned it's one optic on me. I took off in the opposite direction, only to almost be stepped on by Thundercracker.

The blue mech growled at me and aimed his null ray in my face. I transwarped onto his other side, and the Seeker ended up shooting Ravage in the faceplates instead. I had the sudden urge to laugh, but a roar ripped my attention away.

I turned to see a large silver mech the size of Optimus firing at Barricade. My first reaction was anger. No one shot at my sparkmate.

I transwarped as close as I could to the mech without getting stepped on. I was about to reach out and shock him, but then the mech turned and looked straight at me.

I froze. Those red optics. The same ones from my nightmare.

Megatron had killed my parents.

Suddenly I wasn't on a battlefield anymore. I was in my parent's two story house again.

Mom and Dad had just pulled me back from the edge of the now torn away wall. Below us were flames so hot that I could feel the heat.

Just like every time, I looked up to the red optics of Megatron. Now the smoke that had once covered his faceplates was gone, and I could see the gleeful look in his optics. Quicker than I could blink, Megatron brought his arm down on the floor next to us with a laugh.

I felt myself falling, but then at the last moment, my parents pushed me back on a stronger part of the floor. I scrambled back to the edge, already calling out to my parents.

But all I could do was watch and cry in shock as they fell into the fire below.

I swear my heart stopped. I forgot to breathe. Unable to look at the fire any longer, I looked up just as a yellow blur tackled Megatron, who had been reaching for me.

Then a white servo reached towards me but I scrambled back. I saw Prowl lean in closer. He was saying something, but at the moment I couldn't hear anything. I was too shocked. Prowl looked as shocked as I felt. His optics were nearly white.

He said something again. This time my body moved. I sat on his open servo and he pulled me over the flames and held me to his chasis as he backed away from the fire.

Then a hard impact to my side brought me out of the memory.

My eyes snapped open in time to see Barricade tackle Megatron. I looked around to see what had tackled _me_. It was a blue-haired girl with green eyes. She had a few cuts on her face and she looked pale and scared.

"Are you freaking crazy, woman? You were about to me grabbed by that damn robot!" She yelled in my face.

I didn't say anything to her. Instead I looked around for Jazz. He was currently trying to shoot down Starscream who was in his alt mode dropping missiles from above. Thundercracker was raising his null rays and aiming for Jazz.

Just as I was about to scream a warning to Jazz, a white and black blur tore across and attacked Thundercracker.

When I recognized it was Prowl, I heard Optimus shout, "Autobots, attack!". Then there were several Autobots transforming and attacking the 'Cons.

Now that I was sure that Jazz was okay, I looked around for 'Cade again. I felt pain radiate from across the spark bond. Panicked, I stood up frantically despite the strange girls protests to stay down.

When I did see Barricade, my heart literally stopped.

Megatron had 'Cade pinned against a tree by the neck, with his fusion cannon aimed at my spark mate's spark.

Without thinking, I transwarped right onto Megatron's back. I grabbed a handful of tubing and wires in his neck and pulled as hard as I could, bracing myself on his back.

I didn't stop the Decepticon leader from shooting 'Cade. But instead of shooting a hole through his spark, Megatron missed and shot mere inches from the spark casing.

I felt the pain the same as Barricade did. It hurt like hell. The pain was so great that I let go of Megatron's wiring and dropped to the ground.

Megatron seemed shocked for a few moments, then shouted, "Decepticons, retreat!"

The large Transformer glared down at me. "Next time, girl." Then he transformed, but I didn't watch his escape.

Instead I stood shakily and ran to Barricade. He was completely still, leaning against the tree. It barely held his weight. His optics were dim, and a large gaping hole was in his chest. The sight of energon running down his chasis nearly made me want to break down right there.

" 'Cade? Can you hear me, babe?" I asked, reaching up but not touching him.

His optics onlined and he looked down at me. "Ni-Nico-…Nic-cole?" Static laced his voice.

"Shh, Barricade. I'm going to try and help you, 'kay?" He gave the barest of nods and offlined his optics.

Sighing, I reached up and took off my necklace. Maybe, if I gave it to 'Cade, he would be able to hold out for a little longer as we waited for Ratchet.

Suddenly a coldness on the other end of the bond startled me. I started to panic again as I realized that Barricade's spark was fading.

" 'Cade? 'Cade, can you hear me, babe? Listen to me. Stay here. Don't go into stasis, okay?" I said frantically as I reached towards his spark casing. I just barely managed to reach it and shove the AllSpark shard in as close as I could get it.

I saw an immediate reaction. Barricade's optics unnaturally flashed blue instead of red and a small blue pulse seem to go through the Mustang's frame. I felt an immediate reaction, too. The second the shard left my hand, I felt my energy drop.

But I didn't really care how tired I felt, as long as my sparkmate would make it.

* * *

Jazz winced as First Aid treated the cuts he had received during the battle.

They were back in the Med Bay at base. Jazz hadn't been injured that bad, just some cuts and lucky shots those fragging Seekers had landed on him. Barricade had been in much worse shape, considering he had taken a point blank shot from Megatron's fusion cannon only a few inches from his spark casing.

They had loaded the black and silver mech in a trailer that had been specially designed for the purpose of carrying Autobots that couldn't transform since they were injured. Nicole had hung back, almost like she was afraid of getting in the way, until Ratchet barked an order at her to stay close to Barricade.

While other Autobots had been confused at the order, Jazz knew exactly why. If Nicole stayed close, Barricade was most likely to stay with his sparkmate close by.

But Jazz didn't know why the human femme looked so tired. From what he could see, she only had a few minor cuts on her face and hands. There was a haunted look in her eyes. It made Jazz wonder just what Nicole had discovered during that battle.

Prowl seemed to see it, also. When he sent a questioning look to Jazz, he just shook his head and shrugged.

Prowl wasn't the only one who had thought that the saboteur might know. Taylor had came to him, asking why Nicole seemed distant and tense. After receiving the same answer, she had just hung by her best friend.

There had also been another human femme who had seen the whole thing. Willow Turner was her name. She had pretty much demanded to know what was going on, or she'd go to the press. They had been blackmailed into taking her with them. Now, Willow was somewhere in the base, probably trying to be negotiated with to keep quiet. Even after their brief encounter, Jazz bet that the girl wouldn't let it go that easy.

Now, Prowl and Jazz were sitting in the Med Bay while First Aid repaired Jazz. Not that there was much to repair. Even after all these years, the Jazz-man still had his skills. Ratchet was in a private operating room working on Barricade.

"So what happened again?" Prowl asked as First Aid welded a cut sealed on his own armor that the tactician had gotten when he attacked Thundercracker.

"We we're jus' drivin' back ta base when all o' sudden the 'Cons fired buncha missiles at the road in front o' Barricade. The rest ya pretty much know."

Prowl opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment the human-sized door opened. Taylor walked in, looking worried.

The three mechs looked down at the human femme in surprise. "Taylor, doncha know tha' the Hatchet'll kick ya out if he sees ya in here?" Jazz asked, scooting off the berth he had been sitting on with Prowl to bend down to the woman.

Taylor's expression remained the same. "Have you seen Nicole?"

First Aid set the welder down on a small tray beside the berth. "If I'm not mistaken, didn't Ratchet take her into the operating room with him?"

Taylor shook her head. "No. Well, at least I don't think so. She was in the Rec. Room a few minutes ago with me. She looked a bit sick, so I went to go get her a drink. When I came back, she was gone."

They heard a door open and the three Autobots and one human looked up to see Ratchet come out of the operating room, wiping his servos on a rag and his optics on half-power.

"Please tell me ya didn't operate on 'Cade with yer optics off, Ratch." Jazz joked, but his spark wasn't into it. The things that had happened in the past few hours made it hard for him to put up a cheerful charade.

Ratchet shot the silver mech an annoyed look. "Shut up, Jazz. Where the frag is Nicole?"

Taylor and the three mechs looked at the medic in shock. It wasn't unusual for him to be brusque with his comments, but the tone wasn't the same.

"What do you mean, Ratchet? Is Barricade's condition worsening?" Prowl asked, being the first one to get over the shock.

Ratchet shook his head. "No, he's stable. He just needs to rest and recharge. Barricade'll be staying in my Med Bay for awhile. But Nicole needs to her aft in here now."

"Why?" Taylor asked, getting more worried by each word.

"Because of this." The Medical Hummer held up a small necklace.

Jazz felt dread seep into his circuitry as he realized just what the necklace being separated from meant. "When'd ya find it, Ratchet?" He asked quietly.

"When I opened Barricade's chest plates, I got this nice little surprise. Apparently she took it upon herself to try and heal him. You know what this means don't you, Jazz?"Jazz nodded, while Prowl asked, "Ratchet? Some of us here aren't medics or weren't in Nicole's head. Would you care to explain?"

"You remember when Nicole was diagnosed with lung cancer, right? Well, Sam and Mikaela thought that maybe if she wore a shard of AllSpark it might cure it. It did. The only thing was she had to wear it the whole time or the cancer would return. That's why they never taught her to swim. I don't know how long she can go without the necklace, but we need to find her now. Then I'm going to have a talk about personal health with her when we find her."

Prowl immediately opened a comm. link with Red Alert. ~_Prowl to Red Alert.~_

_~Red Alert, here.~_

_~Can you pull up video footage of the past 15 minutes? See if Nicole shows up around the Rec room.~_

_~Why? Is she a Decepticon spy?~_

Prowl resisted the urge to roll his optics. ~_No, Red Alert. This has to do with her safety.~_

_~…Oh. I'll get on it.~_

Not thirty second later, Red Alert contacted Prowl again. _~It looks like she went into the human femme's restroom three minutes ago and hasn't came out since.~_

_~Thank you, Red Alert.~_

Prowl relayed the information to the anxious human and Autobots waiting for a reply. Prowl, Jazz, and Ratchet left the Med Bay, Ratchet with Taylor on his shoulder. The CMO ordered First Aid to stay and watch Barricade for any changes.

They soon found which restroom Red Alert had told them about. Ratchet set Taylor down. "If anything's wrong with her, I don't care if you have to drag her, bring her out." The medic said.

Taylor nodded and went inside the bath room.

Immediately she was hit with the coppery smell and that horrible hacking sound. She began looking in all of the stalls.

Nicole was in the last one. She hadn't bothered to lock the door. Taylor's best friend was leaning over the toilet, coughing up blood.

For a moment Taylor's brain froze up. There was so much blood. That hacking sound was Nicole coughing. She hadn't even heard Taylor enter.

A particularly bad cough brought Taylor back. "Oh, Nicole, honey…." She muttered, rushing to her best friend's side.

Nicole half-turned to Taylor. "Taylor-" She broke into another coughing fit. When it was over, she put her head in her hands. "Oh, Taylor….I keep seeing their faces as they fell into the fire." Nicole spit on the floor. "Don't look at me. There's blood everywhere." Then she started coughing again.

Taylor bit her lip. Blood usually made her queasy. But for her best friend, she would forget that. And what was she talking about, 'their faces'? Who?

But instead of asking, she grabbed Nicole's elbow gently and tugged her to her feet. Nicole was pale, and the blood that was on the front of her clothes scared Taylor.

There was even blood smeared on her face and what looked like…tears? That scared Taylor even more than the blood. She had never seen Nicole cry.

The black haired girl had to lean against Taylor as she half-dragged, half-carried her. Nicole coughed a few times, even more blood getting on her clothes and some on Taylor's. She tried to ignore that as she opened the door to Ratchet, Jazz, and Prowl's little cries of surprise at their appearance.

"Ratchet, give me the necklace," Taylor said, holding her hand out. The little necklace was dropped in her hand. She put the necklace as gently as she could around Nicole's neck. Immediately the coughing stopped, but Nicole looked more tired than ever.

Jazz knelt down to their level. "Takin' tha' necklace off of yerself really messed ya up, baby girl." He said softly.

Nicole looked at him. "Is Barricade alright?"

"Yeah, Ratch fixed 'im up. He's jus' gotta rest for awhile."

Nicole closed her eyes and sighed. "Good."

* * *

Nicole POV

In all honesty, I felt like I'd been to hell and back.

Sure, I wasn't coughing up blood anymore and Ratchet had given me a healthy dose of painkillers, but mentally, I felt horrible. I replayed my parents death over and over and over and over…..

I couldn't get their faces out of my mind.

And also, it was my fault that Barricade was in the position he was in right now. If I hadn't froze up, he wouldn't have attacked Megatron. If he hadn't attacked Megatron, Megatron wouldn't have pinned him against a tree and tried to shoot his spark out.

It was all my fault.

A slight cough brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked up. Bumblebee was standing a few feet away from my spot on the couch in the Rec room. He was shifting nervously.

"Can I help you, Bumblebee?" I asked, trying and failing to smile.

He hesitated before saying, "Ratchet told me to take you on a drive and talk to you."

I cursed the medic. "Why?"

"About….remembering how Sam and Mikaela died."

I stiffened. Why the hell did he want me to talk about that? Did he think it might be easier to deal with or something?

"Can we talk about that later?" I asked coolly.

The Camaro's faceplates scrunched up. "He pulled rank."

I sighed, considering just transwarping away. But instead, I just nodded. "Fine. Come on."

I transwarped on his shoulder, which was something Ratchet had specifically told me not to do. He must've also told Bumblebee, I guess by the frown on his faceplates. "Ratchet told me not to let you transwarp."

I sighed, staring straight ahead. "No offense, 'Bee, but….try and stop me."

I thought I may have seen a small smile, but that could've been my imagination.

Fifteen minutes later, we were driving away from base. There was an uncomfortable silence hanging over us.

I was looking around the interior. It was just like when I was a kid and my mom and dad would take me to school or wherever. I smiled faintly when I remembered once when they had taken me out for ice cream. I had gotten a large strawberry cone. I remember we stopped quickly, and the top half of my double scoop had fallen onto the seat. Dad had been mad, but Mom just calmly cleaned it up and cleaned the seat, telling me to be careful. Now I knew why my dad had been so mad.

"Are you alright?" Bumblebee asked.

I blinked and nodded quickly. "Yeah, just remembering something."

"The time you dropped ice cream on the seat?"

I looked at the dash board in surprise. "How'd you guess?"

"That memory….kind of sticks out. And the ice cream was fragging cold."

I snorted. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay. I thought it was actually pretty funny."

"Yeah…." I said slowly.

After another few seconds of silence, he said, "I'm sorry that I left you."

That caught me by surprise almost as much as the time Barricade had said sorry. "What?"

"I….shouldn't have left. Especially with you not being able to remember what happened. Maybe if I had stayed, you wouldn't have had to go into the foster system. What was it like?"

"The foster system?"

"….Not remembering."

"Oh." I said flatly. That was not what I had been expecting. "Well….shocking, I guess. I mean, I remember falling asleep in bed that night, and then waking up in a hospital. Optimus' hologram was there. He explained what happened. It felt like running into a brick wall at 100 miles an hour. They were there, and then…they weren't." I finished softly.

We were both silent for awhile. Then Bumblebee said, "But you remember now."

"Yes." I said, painfully. "I do. I don't know which is worst, remembering or not."

"Maybe some doors are better left closed."

I laughed softly. "Maybe. But it's pure curiosity that makes you open those doors. And usually you don't like what you see." I sighed. "You know what's ironic? I thought that by remembering how my parents died would bring some closure. Instead it left me with guilt and the grief to deal with all over again."

"It wasn't your fault." Bumblebee said quietly. "It was a well thought out strategy. There was usually someone patrolling the area around your house if I was at the base. The Decepticons attacked while they were changing shifts. We got there as quick as we could. I arrived just as Megatron was reaching for you. We lost a few mechs that day."

I didn't say anything. Instead I just stared out the window, watching the desert roll by. So Jazz had been right. Bumblebee didn't blame me.

"I hope you know that I don't blame you for leaving. If I was in your position I probably would've, too." I said suddenly.

Bumblebee seemed to think about that for a few seconds. Then, "…Thank you."

I smiled. "Don't thank me. I don't deserve it."

We sat in silence for awhile, with me looking out the window. The silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore. It was actually nice.

"Do you really believe Barricade had changed?"

I jumped at the sudden sound of Bumblebee's voice. Then what he had asked sunk in. I became defensive. "Yes, I do. With all of my heart."

"But how do you really know?"

"I just do."

"But _how_?"

I hesitated. I knew because of the bond. But no one except me, Barricade, Jazz, and Ratchet knew about it. And I had a nagging suspicion that Bumblebee wouldn't be exactly happy. I sighed. Sooner or later it was going to come out, so might as well get a head start.

I stared at the dashboard. "You promise not to be mad? Or freak out, at least."

"With the tone you're using, I'm not sure I want to know anymore. But, yes, I promise."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, well, we sort of have a…..spark bond?"

Suddenly I was jerked forward as he hit the brakes and I heard the squealing of tires. "You have a _what_?"

I winced at his tone. "Spark-"

"It was rhetorical." He snapped.

Ouch. "Look," I said, holding my hands up, "I have no idea how it happened. Whenever we first got here, Optimus and Ironhide took Barricade to the Interrogating room. When I got there, Ratchet had knocked Barricade over the helm-"

"For a good reason, too." He cut me off bitterly.

"Hey, it was not his fault that he hit me. I didn't look both ways."

"One of the things that Sam and Mikaela tried to get you to do."

"I was in a hurry!" Then I glared accusingly at the dash board. "We're off topic. But when I touched Barricade to see if he was alright, there was like this weird electric shock thing. Our energy fields connected, I guess you could say. And suddenly there was a spark bond."

Bumblebee sighed. "You are a strange girl, Nicole."

I crossed my arms. "I prefer the word special, thank you very much."

He laughed at that, but sobered again once he thought of the bond Barricade and I shared. He sighed again. "Well, I don't guess I could get you to sever it, could I?"

I stared at the dashboard. "Are you crazy? Not a chance in Pit, Bumblebee. I love Barricade, and he loves me."

The Camaro didn't respond for a few minutes. Then he said, "Are you sure you love him, though?"

That surprised me. No one had asked me that before. "What do you mean?"

"Do you really love him, or…." He didn't finish.

Suddenly the meaning struck me. And was I mad. "Are you serious? Do you think that I'm that weak? That the only reason I think I love him is because I felt alone at the time we met?"

"I didn't say you were weak. I was merely wondering if he took advantage of your situation to make you think that he really loved you-"

"Did you not hear what I said a few minutes ago? _We have a spark bond._ I cant get anymore sure than that." Suddenly l felt tired all over again. I wanted to just curl up and ignore the world. "I don't see why you cant see that he has changed. He lied to me for the past four years, sure, but he did it because he thought he was protecting me. He went all the way to freakin' Canada to keep me away from the Decepticons!"

"And the Autobots."

"Oh my God! Why cant you just believe me?" I said, putting my face in my hands. I felt like crying. It seemed mighty tempting. "For the first time in a long while, I was actually _happy _when I met him. And when he asked me out on our first date…." I sniffled. "It was like a dream come true. I had found my perfect match."

Bumblebee didn't say anything for a long while. I didn't bother trying to break the silence, either. I wanted to sit and just enjoy the quiet.

I suddenly heard Bumblebee sigh. "I'm sorry. I guess that if you're this sure, I should believe you. I see how much he makes you happy. I just hope I'm not making a mistake in trusting him."

At that moment I could've kissed Bumblebee. "Thank you, 'Bee."

"How was your first date, anyway?"

I snorted. "Terrible. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. But all the same, I loved how much effort he put into it to make if perfect. You should've seen his face at the end of it. He kept apologizing. He almost didn't ask me to go on a second date."

"Hmm." Was the only response I got. Then, "Did you ever….never mind."

I raised one eyebrow. "Did I ever what?"

"Nothing."

" 'Bee, it's not nothing. Go ahead and ask."

"Did you and Barricade ever-well, you know."

My eyes widened as I got what he meant. I face palmed. "Oh, _God_. That is none of your business, Bumblebee!_ None_, whatsoever!"

"You said I could ask!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to ask about my personal life!" I put my face in my hands again, this time out of embarrassment. "God, this is embarrassing. Damn…. Do you go around asking everyone who they've been interfacing with?"

"No, I just feel entitled to ask you since, in a way, I consider you a sister, I guess."

"I'm touched, but I'm pretty sure regular brothers don't go around asking their sisters who they've been sleeping with. Wow, this is such an awkward conversation…..Damn…."

* * *

Hey you guys! Sorry I havent updated in a while, but school had been getting in the way.

I made this chapter longer so I could get in the talk between Nicole and Bee. I know some of you have been waiting a long time for it.

Man, I'm almost afraid to read some of the reviews for this chap.

But review, cause we're almost to 100 reviews! Yay, kudos and cookies to all of us!

By the way, who wants me to do a one-shot on Nicole and Barricade's first date?

Review!


	13. Go To my Quarters? WHY?

/blah/=bond talk

_~blah~= _comm. link

* * *

Chapter 13:

Nicole POV

Bumblebee and I talked about more things that had happened in the years since my parents had died. Soon we were back at the base hangar. It was dark outside already, so I wandered how many bots or people would be in the cafeteria. Ratchet was waiting for us at the door. I had to admit, even though Ratchet had forced me into it, I felt better after talking to Bumblebee. Our relationship was no longer the awkward nervousness, and now I couldn't help thinking of Bumblebee as an older-and bigger, way bigger-brother.

I even felt more at peace with myself. I didn't feel as though I was to blame for my parents deaths. But the memory of them falling in the fire still hurt.

Ratchet glared at me as I got out of Bumblebee's driver seat. "Well?"

I shrugged. "We talked. But I swear, Ratchet, if you ever pull rank to get me to do something again, your medical tools will go missing during the night."

Ratchet snorted. "I dare you to even try touching them, Nicole Witwicky."

Bumblebee, now transformed, chuckled. "I'd listen to him, Nicole. Look, I'd love to talk to you some more, but I've got graveyard shift for monitor duty."

I smiled. "That's alright. Besides, I wanted to go and see Barricade before I went to bed."

Ratchet sighed and leaned down with his servo open. "He's still in recharge. He'll probably stay that way for a while, too."

We said bye to Bumblebee and began the walk to the Med Bay. Ratchet started asking me medical questions, which I answered wearily. I was tired and I wanted to get something to eat and then go to sleep.

Soon we reached the Med Bay. Ratchet showed me the berth that Barricade was laying on. I nearly cried at the state he was in. My sparkmate was looking so much better than he had after Megatron had shot him, but he still looked bad. His paint was scratched up and dented in several places, though Ratchet told me that his self repair system would take care of it. His armor had an almost dull look to it. There was a few weld scars that surrounded the area where he had been shot.

Ratchet didn't say anything as he set me down on the berth. After a moment of staring at Barricade, I said quietly, "Thank you, Ratchet."

"Don't thank me. I was just doing my job."

"Yeah, but how many Autobot medics would try and save a Decepticon's life?"

"Last time I checked, Barricade was an ex 'Con, thus making him neutral."

"Touché. I just hope doesn't remain neutral forever."

Ratchet snorted. "He wont."

I smirked. "How would you know? Do you suddenly have the ability to see the future?"

"I know because I'm a medic. And because he has you to think of. He wouldn't remain on the side lines when he has the chance to fight for something that's important to him."

"I'm guessing you speak from experience."

Ratchet smirked as he began cleaning tools on a tray beside the berth. "Youngling, everyone in this war is fighting for something. Bondmates fighting for each other, siblings fighting for each other, friends fighting for each other. Everyone fighting for a better future. Even those damn Decepticons, in their own twisted way, are fighting for something they believe in.'

"Hmm. I never thought of it that way."

"Think over it some more." Then he turned back to me, waving a particularly sharp knife. "I'm going to try and get some work done now. I don't want to have to come back in here and find you missing or with an arm or leg missing, understand?"

"Your work habits are beginning to sound like Prowl's, Ratch. Better watch out."

He snorted. "Don't even compare me with that fragger. I swear, if he hadn't met Jazz, the mech would have bonded to his datapads." Ratchet shook his helm, walking into his office.

I smiled and sat down, leaning against Barricade's side. I could hear all of his systems whirring quietly, then stopping, and his vents occasionally cycling air. His armor was warm. I closed my eyes and reached across the bond.

I was surprised when I felt him reach back. He sent confusion my way. I sent love and comfort back.

/About time./

I jumped when I heard Barricade's voice. I turned around and looked at Barricade's faceplates. He was still in recharge.

/It's called 'bond talk./

I didn't jump this time. /Barricade?/ I asked, thinking I was sort of crazy talking to myself in my head.

/Nicole./

I smiled as I heard his dry response. /Sorry, you surprised me. I didn't know we could do this./

I heard him snort. /Don't you have VIP access to the AllSpark memories?/

/Yes, I just didn't ever think of this. So it never came up./

After a few seconds of silence, he said /Megatron….shot me. In the spark./

I winced. /No, he shot you a few inches away from your spark casing. I…distracted him./

Anger came from the other end of the bond. /No, you transwarped on his _back._/

I felt my own anger well up. /Well, what did you expect me to do? Let him shoot you?/

Barricade sighed. /No. I just wish you had taken less dangerous course of action./

I closed my eyes. /I'm sorry, 'Cade./

/Don't apologize. I know you were just trying to protect me./

/Not about that. About the fact that I froze up./

Barricade was silent. Then, /What happened?/

I sighed. /When I saw Megatron's optics…it sort of triggered some memories of the night my parent's died. I saw the whole thing, Barricade. Megatron, the fire, their faces…./

/You don't have to tell me. Just show me./

/By thinking of the memory?/

/Exactly. If you don't want to, I understand. I just want to try and help you./

I hesitated, then brought back the memories of the night. When it was over, Barricade was silent and I couldn't feel his side of the bond anymore. After a few more minutes, my patience ran out. /Come on, Barricade, don't block me out!/ I thought, pushing against the block.

I heard him sigh, and then I felt his anger and protectiveness of me flood the bond. I sighed. /Barricade, don't be angry. What's been done is done./

/So? Megatron has caused you so much pain, even after all these years and right now, when he's not even here./

/Babe, Megatron has caused us all pain./ I sighed. /I'm sorry that I froze up and caused all of…well, the condition you're in right now./

/Stop saying sorry. It wasn't your fault. You didn't make Megatron shoot me, did you? You didn't make me attack him to protect you, did you?/ When I didn't say anything, he continued. /Nicole, I attacked him because I love you and would do anything for you. I knew the risks of doing it. I've been in this war a lot longer than you've even been alive. I've seen what he can do to a mech. It wasn't your fault at all./

I closed my eyes. /Thank you, 'Cade. Thank you for being there for me, for being you, for your love. Everything./

/Thank you for being the Nicole I know and love./

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, a thought struck me. /'Cade?/

/Yes?/

/What's it like, talking like this in your recharge?/

/…I guess sort of like dreaming. Only it's not a dream./

/Oh./

Then, /You should be resting./

/You should, too./

/I already am./

I sighed, but I was smiling. /Alright, 'Cade. I'll try to sleep. I love you./

/I love you, too, Nicole./

Still smiling, I laid back and curled into Barricade's side. Soon I was asleep.

* * *

Willow Turner grinned as she shoved the bobby pin back in her bag.

She had just gotten finished picking the lock to the interrogation room that she had been stuck in for 8 hours. Before she had, though, she had found a piece of tape in her bag and taped it over the camera(it was zebra-striped!) in the room. In that time, she had drank three of six Monsters she had had in her bag. Any trace of exhaustion was gone and she buzzed with energy.

She grinned cheerfully at nothing in particular as she walked through the halls. No one was out and about at this hour, so that meant no one was in her way to stop her from exploring.

Humming a song that most people found annoying, she looked at some of the plaques on doors. There was a human sized door, and a huge robot sized door for almost every room. Willow stopped when she found a door that said, 'Med Bay'. The light coming from under the door was strange. Most lights were off by now.

Looking around, Willow confirmed that no one was in the hall with her. Smiling happily, she opened the door and walked in.

Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness. Willow looked around. There was a bunch of big tables, one of which a bunch of monitors surrounding a large still black robot laying on. There were also other things that were hard to identify.

She had been wrong. There was what looked like another office lit. She set her bag down gently and took her sneakers off. They squeaked when she walked.

As quietly as she could, Willow tip toed to the door. There was a neon yellow robot sitting behind a desk, with his head propped in one hand.

And he was _snoring_.

At least, Willow _thought_ it was a he. Can robots have genders?

Shaking her head, she tip toed back away from the doorway. The table with the black robot caught her eye. Walking up to it, she squinted at the metal the table was made of. It was either steel or iron.

Willow shrugged as she began to take her socks off. Whichever it was, she could still scale up it. When she was eight, she had taken gymnastics and had learned that she was good at climbing things. Poles, more specifically.

After sticking her socks in her back pocket, she rubbed her hands up and down her jeans to create friction(one of the only things that had stuck with her from school) and make her hands sweaty so she could scale up easier.

When Willow was satisfied with her sweaty hands, she grabbed the pole and started climbing, doing the whole thing silently. _Like a ninja_, Willow thought, almost giggling at her own thoughts.

She paused halfway up. She _really_ started to start drinking water instead of energy drinks. They made her feel high.

Willow finally reached the top. Her arms were aching. She hadn't done that in a long time. Only when she looked at the size of the robot did she wonder if this had been such a good idea. _After all_, the little annoying voice in her head reasoned, _if it wakes up and sees you, it most likely going to squash you._

_Thanks, voice._ She thought, annoyed. That made her pause again. Hearing voices is the first sign of madness after all-

Willow squealed and jumped into her 'Instant Ninja Defense Stance(or INDS)', as her brother had deemed it because she looked like she was trying to copy a ninja stance she had seen in a movie. Something had brushed her leg. Willow was certain of it.

"Meow."

Willow almost squealed again as the noise came from behind her. She whirled around. And stared.

There was a cat.

A gray cat.

Sitting right there, in front of her.

And it was _staring_ at her.

Willow relaxed and almost laughed in relief. It was a frigging cat that had scared her senseless. A cat.

Sighing, she leaned down and picked the cat up. It hissed and spit at her. Willow held it at arms length, wincing. She _really_ hoped the robots didn't have sensitive hearing.

Eventually, the cat calmed down and glared balefully at Willow as best as she could from her position tucked under Willow's arm. Willow just grinned back at the cat. "You know what? I think I'll call you Charlie. I don't care what your gender is, Charlie just seems to fit you. Don't you think so, Charlie?" She whispered to the cat.

Newly named Charlie sneezed.

_Guess that's the only response I'm gonna get._

A moan almost made Willow drop Charlie and go into her INDS position.

Cautiously, she walked closer to the robot's head. There was something curled up right next to the robot.

Willow froze when she realized what it was the black-haired girl.

What the _hell_ was she thinking, sleeping right next to the robot? It could wake up and flick her across the room.

Or worse, roll over and _squish her._

At that moment, the girl opened her eyes.

* * *

Nicole POV

I moaned softly as I woke up.

Everything felt stiff and sore, but my mind was calmer than it had been in a long time. I checked the bond. Barricade was in recharge, for real this time. Not some drug-induced recharge.

I opened my eyes. It was dark except for light coming from Ratchet's office. Even from where I was I could here him snoring.

My attention snapped to focus as I realized that someone was standing a few feet away from me. My eyes adjusted and I realized it was the blue haired girl from earlier. She was staring at me like I was going to eat her or something.

And she was holding Spice.

I glared at her. "Can I have my cat back?"

The girl blinked once, twice, then nodded. She held Spice out while I stood up slowly. Word of advice: don't sleep on metal tables without pillows.

I took Spice and scratched her head before looking at the girl warily. "How'd you get up here?"

She tilted her head to the side a bit. "I scaled the pole. See?" She pointed to her bare feet. Her toe nails were painted a startling neon yellow.

I stared, nodding slowly. "Okay. Question two: What are you doing here?"

She opened her mouth, but I held my hand up, shaking my head. "Wait. Let's talk somewhere where there's light and food." I reached out and grabbed her arm, transwarping to the cafeteria kitchen.

Fortunately, there wasn't anyone in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the girl had a weak stomach and threw up in one of the trashcans that were conveniently close by.

I winced at her now even paler face. "Sorry. Maybe a little warning would've been better."

She just stared at me. Then, "Ya think? What in God's good name _was that_?"

I shrugged. "Look, I'll explain in a bit. First, are you hungry?"

The girl eyed me warily but nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, we had each made ourselves sandwiches and gotten bags of chips and Cokes. Instead of transwarping this time, I just showed her the way to the Rec Room. There, we ate on the human sized couch eating in silence. Spice meowed and rubbed against my legs. I fed her a few chips (you'd be surprised how much she likes Doritos). When we were both done, I transwarped and threw the trash away in the same trash can she had threw up in.

When I returned, she had her hands over her eyes. I snapped my fingers in her face. "Yo, weird chick. What's wrong?"

She peeked through her fingers, then covered her eyes again. "I was hoping this was all a dream."I snorted. "Well, get used to it. 'Cause the hard truth is that it's all real."

She finally dropped her hands when Spice jumped onto the couch with us. I pulled my legs up on the cushion and leaned my head on my hand, which was resting on the armrest. The blue haired girl just crossed her legs with her hands in her lap.

And she continued to stare at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Here. Let me start." I said slowly. I stuck my hand out. "My name's Nicole Witwicky."

She continued to stared at my hand, then slowly shook it with her own. "Willow Turner."

I smiled. "See? There's a start. Now, what the frag are you doing on this base?"

Willow shrugged. "In all honesty, I don't know. One moment I was walking home, then next the world is exploding and I cant hear anything." Her green eyes narrowed and she smacked her left ear. "Still cant hear out of this one. If," smack, "only," smack, "it," smack, "would," smack, "pop." Smack.

Just as she said that the glass lens on the camera in the corner glinted in the corner of my eye. A bit annoyed, I got an idea. "Please don't be squeamish." I said before grabbing her arm and transwarping again.

This time we reappeared on one of the catwalks that I had seen that go all over the place. The hangar, the training room, the Storage rooms…Most of the rooms had them. Of course they were for the humans.

I had transwarped to the one in the training room. Mostly because I just liked the room.

Willow swayed a bit, but thankfully kept down her stomach. She glared at me. "Why the hell did you do that?"

I shrugged and sat down on the catwalk, my legs dangling over the side and my arms resting against the double handrail. "I don't know. Privacy, I guess? Red Alert was no doubt watching the cameras. Up here, no one can see us unless they came in here and looked up."

After a moment, Willow sat beside me and sighed, copying my position. Then she glanced at me sideways. "You're not going to murder me up here, are you?"

I laughed. "No. What gave you that idea?"

"If no one can see us up here, it'd be the perfect time to murder me."

I shook my head, smiling. "Willow, I'm just tired of being watched. Everyone around here seems to have forgotten that I learned to take care of myself while in foster homes."

After a few moments of silence, she asked, "Why does your hair have a white streak?"

"Why is your's blue?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, mine is too."

"Well, we've got time."

I stared at her curiously. "You're an interesting woman, Willow."

She smirked. "I've been called crazy, mad, wack job, nut case, mentally damaged, and mentally impaired, Autistic, but never interesting."

"Well, I'm glad I'm the first." I sighed. "I'm guessing that you want to know why there's giant robots walking around, huh?"

Willow nodded.

I nodded. "Just like me." I sighed again. "Well, it all started when my great-great grandfather went to sail the Artic Circle…."

I told her everything. About my dad 'buying' Bumblebee, about Barricade trying to attack them, about my mom and dad meeting the Autobots for the first time, about the AllSpark in Hoover Dam, about Jazz dying, about the warning Optimus received from that mech, telling of the Fallen's return. About Alice trying to seduce my dad(yes, the AllSpark had the pleasure in showing me _that_ little spectacle), Megatron's little docbot, Scalpel, basically dissecting my dad's brain, Optimus dying. Then my parents journey to Egypt to find the Matrix, then my dad dying.

You really should've seen her face when I talked about that.

Next, Optimus being resurrected, defeating the Fallen, turning off the machine, my parents finally realizing they loved each other, then their wedding about two years after that, my birth, me getting lung cancer, me being healed by the AllSpark, my parents death when I was eight. I had to pause at that point. Willow waited patiently for me to go on, and I did. Me, being jumped from foster home to foster home, never exactly fitting in at school, getting into fights, meeting Taylor, that fateful day that 'Cade hit me. About a year after that, us going on our first date, then us moving away, me and Taylor working in a bar. Barricade taking me to Canada, me meeting Jazz for the first time, the little spectacle that happened there with the Seekers, the trip back, including the party, and everything that had happened here on base since then, including Megatron attacking on the way back from Wal-Mart.

But once I started, I couldn't stop. I told her about remembering, the guilt, the pain, mentally and physically.

I told Willow Turner, an almost complete stranger, everything.

Once I was done, I felt tired as hell, and my head was resting on the double bar of the hand rails. I sighed. "That pretty much covers it."

She didn't reply, and I didn't turn to look at her to see what her face looked like. After a few minutes though, I couldn't stand the silence. "So. What's your sad story?" I asked, still not looking at her.

I heard her sigh and felt the bar vibrate as her head thunked down beside mine. "Well, it's long, but it ain't near as complicated and…well…"

"Messed up?" I smirked. "We've got time." I reminded her.

Willow snorted. "Thanks. Using mine own attack against me."

"Prowl's rubbing off on me." Pause. "He's the head Tactician."

"Ah. Well, I guess I should get started, huh? Well, well, well, where to start, where to start-"

"Do you like repeating things or something?"

"Yeah. But any way, God knows how many years ago, my mom met my dad in a bar. They talked, hooked up, got married three years later. Then my brother was born. When he was six years old, we-I mean, _I _was born. My mom and dad loved each other to death, so it was devastating when my dad got brain cancer and died when I was twelve. My mom almost couldn't handle the grief, but she pull through for us kids…." She paused. "Then, when I was fifteen my mom just….walked off. I remember, it was just like any regular Saturday. I woke up, but Mom was there with my favorite breakfast." She smiled, her eyes closed. "Waffles with chocolate chips. Something seemed different about her. She was talking about memories that I didn't even remember. The time she met Dad, when my brother and I were born, her wedding…."

Willow sighed. "The night before she had been in her room crying and shouting about God hating her. But that morning, she acted like nothing had happened. In fact, now that I think about it, she seemed almost like she had made a decision. But anyways, she took me shopping. My brother was working that day. We went to the mall. Mom basically gave me her credit card and the pin number and said, 'Shop till you drop'. And we did. I bought stuff that I had wanted but Mom said we hadn't been able to afford, and here we were buying it all at once now. I didn't think about it at the time. I was so happy. I was happier than I had been since…." Willow trailed off, looking like she was in a different world.

Then she shook her head. "Then we stopped at the food market and got some Chinese food. I remember exactly what we ordered. After we were done, Mom started talking about how much she loved me and my brother. It kind of scared me. Like she talked like she was going to die. But she threw our food away and came back to the table. Mom picked up her purse, told me she was going to the bathroom, kissed me on the forehead, and said she loved me." Willow blinked. Her eyes were shining. "I haven't seen her since that day."

I didn't say anything out of respect for her. After a few minutes though, she seemed to pull her self together. Willow sighed. "So, you know all that there is to me. Any questions?"

I opened my mouth, but at that same moment the door to the training room opened and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walked in. Sunny looked fragged off and Sides just looked tired.

"Why do we have to do this again?" Sunny grumbled.

Sideswipe sighed. "Because, the Hatchet couldn't find Nicole in the Med Bay and that girl, Willow Turner or something, is also missing. And he thought we would be the perfect two for searching for them."

"Really? 'Cause I got the impression that he just wanted something to wake us up at this hour for. Maybe this is payback for replacing his Energon with high grade last week."

Sideswipe smiled. "That _was _pretty funny, wasn't it? An angry over energized Ratchet….."

Their voices faded as they left the training room. I looked over at Willow, smiling. But my smile dropped when I saw what her face looked like. She was pale and looking slightly shocked.

A bit worried, I poked her arm. "Willow? You okay?"

Willow didn't look at me. "They're twins?"

I nodded. "Yeah…."

Willow sighed, looking sad. "I had a twin. Her name was Jennifer. My mom hadn't wanted to name us using the same first letter. Too original, she said. That's why she left. Jennifer died trying to cross the street. A driver that was texting didn't see her and….That's why my mom left. After Jennifer died, she just couldn't handle it." Willow closed her eyes. "Dammit, why did you have to make me think about this? Damn that driver. Damn my mom for leaving. Damn Jennifer for dying. Damn you for making me tell you this. Damn me for letting me tell you in the first place."

I smiled softly. "Sometimes you need to tell someone your problems. It makes the grief easier to cope with."

"Don't give me that fortune cookie crap. That's what psychologists are for. Besides, what would you know about it? If you told me the true story, then it sounds like you haven't let anyone know about what inner turmoil's you have."

I sighed. "Now that I think about it, I can count quite a few ways. Like Taylor. I didn't have any friends until I met her. One thing to know about her, she is stubborn as hell. She wouldn't back off no matter how many insults and rejections I gave her. And Barricade-"

Willow gave me a look that said, 'I so don't believe that you are in love with an alien that's ten times or more your size.' "How the hell do you fall in love with an alien _robot_ that transforms into a _car_? I don't even know how that relationship would work _out_. And I don't even want to know how-"

At this point I held my hand up. "You are officially the second being that has even questioned my personal life with Barricade. So just…stop. Stop. It was embarrassing enough the first time." I grinned. "Besides. You haven't even met Prowl and Jazz yet, and their polar opposites!" I finished cheerfully.

Willow stared at me. "Prowl….and Jazz? How come those sound like boy names, even for aliens?"

I shrugged. "Technically, they don't have genders. Their gender is based off of their personality."

"So….if I acted more like a girl, I'd be a girl alien here on Earth?"

I rolled my eyes. "Tip to the stupid: mechs are men, and femmes are girls."

"Oh….Hey, I am not stupid! I am in fact very talented and creative." Willow didn't say anything for a moment, then reached over and poked me in the arm.

I stared at her hand. "I'm solid, you know."

She laughed. "I know. If I poke you it means I like you as a friend."

"Oh, well, in that case…" I reached over and poked her.

* * *

I winced. "Jeez, Ratchet, I didn't know you could yell that loud."

I was back in the med bay, standing on the berth Barricade was still in recharge on. Willow and I had talked a bit more, then decided it was time to go to bed. When I transwarped us back to the med bay, an angry Ratchet awaited us. And he looked pissed.

"I thought I told you to stay here!" He hissed.

I shrugged, not afraid at all while I could feel Willow standing stiff beside me. "Technically, you told me not to go missing. I didn't go missing. I just went for a walk."

I swear, if I had been a Transformer, Ratchet would've done something very unpleasant to me by now. The look on his faceplates said, 'Murder!'.

Ratchet growled. "_Technically_," He said, mimicking my voice, "You _did _go missing, seeing as _no one_ knew where you were."

"Willow here did."

She stamped on my foot.

"That doesn't count!" Ratchet shouted.

"Ratchet! Be quiet or you'll wake up Barricade!" I shouted back, trying to imitate the medic by waving my fist around like I was hold a wrench.

Ratchet looked ready to blow a gasket.

At that moment the doors opened and the twins walked in. Both of them had the weirdest facial expressions as they saw the scene before them. First: surprise. Second: Anger(well, for Sunny anyway). Sideswipe's second expression was amusement.

Sunny glared at me. "Where in Pit were you? We went over the whole base searching for you at this fragging hour!"

I snickered at his angered faceplates. "What's wrong, Sunny? Are you getting too used to Earth's daily cycle?"

For the second time that night, someone looked like they wanted to murder me.

Sides just laughed. "Oh, come on, Sunny, it's not so bad!" He said, elbowing his in the side. "It was actually worth seeing the look on Ratchet's faceplates."

Said medic threw a wrench and hit him right in the audio receptor.

The silver Corvette jumped behind his twin. "Fraggit, Ratchet, that hurt worse than it looks!"

"Good!" He snarled. I had to admit, now that the twins had walked in, Ratchet looked a lot scarier.

Then the neon yellow Medical Hummer turned back to me. "You! In your quarters!"

I gaped at him. "What? That's hardly fair! And what quarters? I was never assigned quarters!"

"The quarters that Barricade was assigned to then! With the two of you sharing a bond, you might as well share quarters, too!"

There was an eerie silence after that last remark.

Sideswipe reacted first. "A _bond?_ Like a fraggin' spark bond? Or, like, just a really close relationship bond?"

Sunny growled. "It better be the second because I'll beat his faceplates in if he _bonded_ with you!"

I felt dazed, angry, and surprised. Wow, the twins were defending me. _That _was unexpected. Then came the anger at Ratchet for opening his mouth. I glared at him. "Thank you so fragging much, Ratchet! What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?"

Ratchet, at this point, had sat down in a chair and face palmed. When I said this, he looked up and glared back at me. "You made me so slagging angry!"

I pointed at him. "Don't even _try _to blame this on me. It's not my fault that you ran a scan on me-without permission I might add-and found the bond in the first place!"

He stood up, towering over me. "Well, you neglected to tell us all in the first place, anyway! So maybe it was a good thing I found it!"

I threw my hands up. "It wasn't really that high on my priority list, Ratchet!"

At this point Willow raised her hand and said meekly, "Excuse me, just a clueless human here with no idea what's going on. What's a spark bond?"

The twins looked at her in surprise, as if noticing her for the first time. Sunstreaker snapped out of it first. Sideswipe continued staring at Willow. "A spark bond is almost like marriage for us, only on a much deeper level. You can feel each others emotions, see each others memories, and even communicate through it. If one partner of the bond dies, the other will, too."

Willow stared at him for a moment, then she blinked. "Oh. Well, that's cool, I guess. Except the whole dying after the other part." Then her nose wrinkled like she remembered something, and she turned to me. "You left that out."

I shrugged. "I wasn't ready to tell the world about it."

Ratchet coughed. "Back to the conversation at servo…" He turned his death glare upon the twins. "I swear, if you tell _anyone_, I will find you and reformat you into coffee makers." Then he sighed wearily. "I guess we will tell Prime in the morning and he can announce it during the meeting in the morning."

Seeing my horrified expression. "And yes, I said _we_. I am not doing this alone, Nicole Witwicky." Then he cackled evilly. "I cant _wait _to see Ironhide's reaction."

I groaned and face palmed. My voice muffled behind my hand, I asked, "What mechs to do you think will try to slag Barricade first, Prowl or Ironhide?"

Sunny snorted. "If I have anything to do with it-"

"You wont." I said, glaring at him. "While I'm touched at you wanting to break his faceplates for me, I actually like the way he looks right now, thank you very much. So, no touching my Barricade."

Sideswipe (who had still been staring at Willow with this weird look on his faceplates the whole time) snorted. "Possessive much?"

I glared at him and his twin. "If I come in here in the morning before the meeting and find Barricade looking like slag, I will hunt you down."

Ratchet muttered something in agreement. Then he sighed and ran a servo over his faceplates. "Now, Nicole, go to your quarters."

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open. Willow elbowed me. "Yo, Nicole. Flies are building nests in your mouth."

I glared at her but shut my mouth before glaring at Ratchet again. "Seriously? You are still trying to send me to my room like a teenager?"

"If you're going to act like one, I might as well treat you like one."

"What the frag did I ever do to you?"

He held up his servo, counting them off. "Left the Med Bay without permission-"

"Big whoop, I left the Med Bay."

"-didn't tell anyone where you were-"

I rolled my eyes. "Ratchet, I'm twenty years old. I can take care of myself."

Sideswipe looked at me in mock surprise. "I thought you were fifty."

I took my left shoe off and threw it at his helm. He ducked.

"-and," Ratchet continued, "neglected to tell me about the bond in the first place."

I threw my hands up. "I thought Prowl was supposed to hand out punishments."

"Well, Prowl is in his quarters with Jazz right now, in a peaceful recharge where he doesn't have to deal with all of _this_." Ratchet said, gesturing all around.

Sideswipe leaned over to Sunstreaker. "Recharge is probably not the only thing they're doing right now."

Everyone one of us turned around and glared at him.

After a few moments of glaring, Sunny smacked his twin on the back of the helm. "Idiot, keep your perverted thoughts to yourself."

Willow blinked. "Perverted-" She broke off as her eyes widened. Then she turned and looked at me, shocked. "Do the Transformers have _sex_?"

I rolled my eyes. "Its called interfacing, but yes."

She just continued to stare at me. "How-" Then Willow just shook her head. "Never mind. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Know."

I rolled my eyes again, then glared back at Ratchet. "So you really want me to go our quarters?"

The look on his faceplates said, '_What do you think?_'

I sighed. "Fine. But who's going to show Willow where to sleep?"

Ratchet snorted, his arms crossed. "Not you. One of the twins will." He looked at said Twin Terrors. "Any volunteers?"

Sunny scowled. "Not me. _I'm _going back to our quarters." He looked at Sides to see what he would say.

Sideswipe seemed to thin about it for a second, then shrugged. "Why not?"

Both Sunny and me just gaped at him. "_What?_"

Before he could answer us, Ratchet held out his servo to Willow. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped on and the medic set her on the ground. "Follow Sideswipe. He should be able to show you where to go."

Willow just nodded, waved to me, and left with Sideswipe. Sunstreaker continued to glare at the door. "Traitor." I heard him mutter as he walked past me to leave.

Once the twins and Willow had left, I turned back around to Ratchet. His back was to me, and he was checking some monitors that were hooked up to Barricade. "Did you seriously mean go to your room?"

He sighed. "Yes. What part of 'Go to your quarters' did you not get?"

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I can see you."

I growled before transwarping to the quarters Barricade and I shared. There was now some pillows and a few blankets by the door. I picked them up and transwarped onto the berth. Sitting down, I saw a note under the pillows. I opened it.

_Thought you could use these, since I doubt you'll be staying in separate quarters._

_-Bee_

I smiled. "Thanks, Bumblebee." I murmured to myself.

Then I arranged the blankets and pillows so that I could sleep comfortably. After maybe an hour, sleep still hadn't come to me. Something was missing. Barricade was missing, I thought to myself sadly.

With an idea in mind, I gathered the blankets and pillows and transwarped to the Med Bay again, this time on the berth Barricade was on in a drug-induced recharge. The lights were turned out. Ratchet wasn't in his office.

Looked at Barricade, I smiled. He looked so relaxed and cute when he was in recharge. Once again, I arranged the blankets and pillows next to my sparkmate. Before getting under the blankets, I climbed onto the Mustang's chasis.

"Night, 'Cade." I whispered, before leaning down and kissing his lips.

When I finally did lay down, I was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Hey guys! I know, I know, this isn't that good of a chap. But I honestly didn't know what to else to do in it! Im more happy with the end than I am the beginning half.

So, please don't hate me for a bad chap!

OH and Guess what? We're 5 reviews away from 100! YAAAAAAYYYYYYY!


	14. Rulers and A Stakeout

Chapter 14:

Nicole POV

I felt a poke in my side.

Groaning, I slapped at the thing poking me. "Go away. I'm still asleep."

"Sorry, Nicki, gotta get up. Docbot's orders. Says yer gonna tell Prime an' everyone else 'bout the bond."

"Jazz….." I muttered. "Of course. Ratchet picks the most annoying bot that I like. Five more minutes?"

Jazz snorted. "I understand ya musta been sleepin' pretty good, right by yer sparkmate, but if ya don't get up Ratchet's gonna beat me and yer aft both. So I'd get up."

I groaned again and opened my eyes. The lights were so damn bright….Jazz's visor blocked my view of the Med Bay. He was grinning. "Wakey, wakey."

I scowled at him. "I swear, if I was standing up right now, Jazz, I would throw my shoe at you."

Jazz snorted. "If ya didn't notice, yer still missin' one." He reached down to the floor and picked something up. Then my left shoe that I threw at Sideswipe was dropped on my head.

I glared at him, sitting up. "Fine, I'm getting up. Where's Prowl?"

For a moment, Jazz's smile disappeared and a frown replaced it. "Sneaky fragger. This mornin' I woke up an' he was gone. Afta a night like last night, ya'd think he could stand bein' late once."

I face palmed. "Sideswipe was right….I so did not need to know that." I muttered.

"Wha'?"

"Nothing, Jazz. Nothing. At. All."

A few minutes later, I had brushed my teeth, redressed in white skinny jeans and a black t-shirt, and grabbed an orange. As I sat on Jazz's shoulder eating my orange, he filled me in on what Ratchet had told him was going to happen at the meeting. Instead of the meeting being in the usual meeting room, it would be in the main hangar so that all of the Autobots would be able to fit in the room. The usual routine of a meeting would go through, with announcements and reports on the 'Cons. They would welcome Jazz back into the position of Third In Command. Ironhide, who had been given the position after Jazz died, willingly stepped down, saying that it was too much datapad work(and not enough time for target practice). Then Optimus would explain about me being the Host of the AllSpark(man, I _really_ hated that name; I was no Host). And then would come the time for Ratchet and I to tell about the bond that Barricade and I shared.

Jazz also told me to behave because there would be human government officials there to listen and question me. Oh, joy.

Jazz and I got there just as the meeting began. There were mechs at the back of the room standing in front of a mixed group of human soldiers and Autobots. To the left side were humans sitting in fold up chairs. To the right were Autobots sitting in fold up chairs. How the frag did they make those, I wondered.

There was a stage also in the back of the room, which had three microphones on it. There were also a few fold up chairs on it, all of which were occupied except for one. Mine, apparently.

Jazz set me down on the stage and I looked at the humans. There was a blonde woman who looked like she had had too much plastic surgery, General Morshower, the new Secretary of Defense(who Jazz told me was named Derek Lansing), two men standing behind….._Oh my fragging Primus_.

I turned to glare at the silver saboteur. "You didn't tell me the damn _President_ would be here!" I hissed at him.

He shrugged. "I didn't know eitha." Then he left me to join the others at the back of the room, which included Optimus, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Red Alert, Perceptor, and Wheeljack.

I glared at him for a few more second before turning and sitting in the only chair left, beside the blonde plastic surgery woman. She turned and looked at me with cold gray eyes, distaste written clearly on her face. I returned the expression.

Then the meeting began. I hardly listened to what was going on. Rubbing the warm AllSpark shard around my throat, I thought about exactly how I would tell everyone about the bond. I really hoped no one would freak out, but…with me and my luck, you couldn't tell.

I looked at the Autobots who were at the back of the room. Perceptor was rambling on about some new discovery he made having to do with an anti-gravity that Wheeljack and he had designed and built(and it hadn't exploded….yet). I almost snorted out loud as I saw Ratchet roll his optics and Ironhide sigh deeply. Optimus, apparently seeing this, said gently, "Perceptor, what is the reason you have brought the anti-gravity generator up in this meeting?"

Perceptor stopped and blinked. "Oh, yes, um….I need something to test it on. But it will have to be small."

To me, this sounded like an invitation with my name written on it. I raised my hand and stood up. "Optimus, I'll do it."

Pretty much every optic and eye looked at me.

Optimus hesitated before asking Perceptor, "Would it be safe?"

Perceptor thought about it before saying, "Yes, it should be."

Well, that sealed the deal.

As I sat back down again, the blonde woman turned and glared at me again. I half expected her to whip out a ruler and smack the back of my head saying, "Don't slouch. Or breathe. Or blink."

Wow, I really almost didn't hold in the laughter that time. Instead I settled for a goofy grin.

After a few minutes of more reports, Optimus finally got to the point I had been dreading. Explaining about me being the Host.

Optimus first started by telling the legend for those who had not heard of it. After that was done, he said, "You are probably wondering why I brought this up. Some of you might remember Sam and Mikaela Witwicky, who were…..killed, by the Decepticons." At the mention of the 'Cons, several occupants tensed up visibly and I even heard a few Autobots power up their weapons system.

"They're daughter, Nicole Witwicky, is here today." 'No, duh. Like I didn't just stand up and offer to be Perceptor's guinea pig.' Again, everyone looked at me. Even the President. Thanks so much, Optimus.

The Autobot Commander looked at me. "Would you like to explain, Nicole?"

I thought about it for a second, then nodded. Optimus smiled as I stood up and walked up to the microphone. I tapped it. A loud thumping sound came out of the speakers under the stage. I smiled and clasped my hands together. "Okey-dokey, where to start?"

In truth, I had never been a speaker or even given a speech. In high school, I had just skipped the days when we were scheduled to give speeches. At my school, whenever graduation came, they decided that _every single student _got to give a speech. Which meant everyone that graduated. And, by some miracle, I was included in those students. So whenever I got up to the podium, I said, "Well, teachers, it been a great time making you all have nervous break downs, but I'm outta here. Oh, and Mrs. Lancaster? Remember that time you found all of the dead frogs we were going to dissect in your car? That was me. Thank you, and goodbye suckers."

Then I had walked off stage. That was the closest thing to a speech I had ever done.

So, standing here in front of who knows how many Autobots and humans and the President, I didn't know what to say.

/What are you worrying about? Just tell them the truth./

My smile just got bigger. /Thanks, Barricade./

/Someone's gotta be there to kick your aft back into place./

So, I did as he said. I told them the whole fragging truth.

After I was done, which a whole ten minutes, there was silence. And more silence. And more.

Then everything went to hell.

Several Autobots stood up shouting, followed by human soldiers. They all either looked shocked, angry, or skeptical. I stood there and watched Optimus try to control them, but it seemed whatever inkling of self-control they all had had jumped out the window. Some of the things they said made me angry. Many were protesting about having Barricade in the Med Bay, some were saying it was impossible for me, a human, to be the Host, and others were saying we had made a mistake.

I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled into the microphone as loud as I could. Which was pretty loud.

That made them stop.

I glared at them. "Sit. Down." I growled.

They sat.

I gave them all the death stare. "You want proof that I'm the…Host? Fine." I transwarped to the floor, then to Jazz's shoulder, then beside Lennox and Epps in the human side, then on the shoulder of Smokescreen on the Autobot side. Then I reappeared on the stage, grabbed a microphone, and transwarping to Ratchet's shoulder. "Now, if that's not enough proof, just look at that mech right there. You tell me that I'm not the Host." I pointed at Jazz, and (_thank you, Jazz_) he stepped forward.

There was a few moments of silence. Then Cliffjumper stood up from his seat. "How do we know if you just used the AllSpark shard? After all, it brought Megatron back."

My jaw dropped at that. But before I could defend myself, Jazz stepped forward even further, and he looked like one fragged off saboteur. "Were ya optics shut when she jus' transwarped every where 'round the room, Cliffjumper? Did ya _not _listen ta her story? Do ya really think we'd make something like this up?" His accent was thickening as he kept going. "Cliff, I like ta think of ya as a close friend, but sometimes ya don't know when ta keep yer mouth shut. If ya weren't so narrow-minded maybe ya'd actually believe us. I'm not asking ya to change, but try ta actually consider it. 'Cause I could count the bots and humans in this room that believe us jus' by lookin' at their faceplates."

Jazz's glare swept over the crowd. He is one scary fragger when he wants to be. "And this goes for all of ya who think tha' a human ain't the right choice ta be the Host of the AllSpark. Primus does everythin' for a reason. I know 'cause I met the fragger." He pointed to me. "An' he wanted tha' girl right there ta be the Host. The slaggin' AllSpark did. Otherwise, she wouldn't be wearin' the shard 'round her neck. Otherwise, the fraggin' 'Cons wouldn't be afta her. Otherwise, her creators would be here. I fer one _know_ tha' she is, 'cause she brought me back from the Matrix. So any of ya who want ta argue tha' she ain't the Host will gotta come ta me first."

There was a stunned silence over the whole room. I was probably the most shocked. Jazz cared about me, that much I knew, but he was acting like I was his own _youngling_. And….it was nice. It actually made me tear up.

But after another moment of dazed silence, I finally gathered up my resolve and said into the microphone, "Thank you, Jazz."

He turned and smiled at me. "Yer welcome, Nicki."

I blinked again, before looking back at the audience. "I…..hope that you will accept the fact that I'm the Host. You don't have to like it. Trust me, I wouldn't believe it if it weren't for the fact that, yes, this _is_ real. I am the Host. And I'm glad to have such a wonderful family behind me to help me through it." Seeing the look on the bots faceplates, I said, "Yes, _family._ Humans and Autobots alike."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly, hoping no one had seen it. "Dammit, I'm crying." I muttered, momentarily forgetting that I was still holding the microphone. Several people and bots laughed. Even _Barricade_ laughed, and he was still in recharge in the Med Bay.

/Oh, shut up./ I told him.

While the laughing died down, Ratchet whispered to me, "Nicole, this may seem like a bad time to do this, but we still have to tell them about the bond."

Well, frag, I thought.

When the laughter finally did die down, I took a deep breath. "Wow, this is going to be hard." I muttered, this time away from the microphone.

Once again steeling my nerves, I said into the microphone. "That's not the only thing, guys. There's….something else I have to tell everyone here. Something that only a few bots know." I leaned forward and looked a Bumblebee and Jazz. "Help explaining this would be appreciated." They all nodded, while every other oblivious person in the room looked confused.

I took another deep breath, this time feeling light headed and sick. "Ratch, is it good or bad that I'm feeling sick about telling this?"

"Good, because that means that you have a good excuse to leave immediately after you spit it out. Because it's going to get ten times crazier than it was a few minutes ago."

I rolled my eyes. "That's Ratchet, always looking on the bright side of things."

So I decided to just get it over with. "Listen up, people." They all looked at me. I scrunched my eyes shut. "A few days ago I touched Barricade and there was this shock thing and then we suddenly shared a spark bond and so now Barricade's my sparkmate."

I opened one eye. Everyone's jaws had dropped. I winced again and close my eyes. "Can I leave now?"

"Yes." Ratchet said.

I transwarped to the Med Bay.

Immediately, I locked both the human and Transformers-sized door. Surely they wouldn't try to blast the door down, would they? Well, maybe Ironhide would. I winced. Oh, Ironhide would be fragged off.

So, with my stomach churning nervously, I sat beside and Barricade and leaned on his side and began to wait.

* * *

It had been approximately 7 minutes since I broke the news. (yes, I had been that nervous)

So far, I had heard a bunch of shouting, what sounded like cannon fire, and the thundering steps of some Autobots.

I was surprised they hadn't checked the Med Bay.

I nearly had a heart attack when the door nearly broke from a fierce pounding on the other side. _"NICOLE WITWICKY, GET YOUR DAMN AFT OUT HERE OR WE'LL BREAK THE SLAGGIN' DOOR DOWN!"_

Oooh, Ironhide sounded _really, really_ pissed.

Then a small voice in my head said, '_Be quiet and maybe they'll go away.'_

So I did as it said and hunched down behind Barricade's still form like they could see me through the door.

"_Nicole, we know you're in there. Red Alert can see you on the video camera." _Came Prowl's scarily calm voice. A calm Prowl is a furious Prowl.

I turned around and glared at the video camera that was pointed at me. I flipped it off. "Screw you, Red Alert!" I shouted it. Then, peeking over Barricade's chasis at the door, I shouted, "I'll open the door when you promise not to kill Barricade!"

"_Are you kidding? I'm gonna decapitate that fragger!" _

I glared at the door. "Then you can forget me opening it, Ironhide."

"_Why you_-_"_

"_Ironhide, that is enough." _Prowl interrupted him. Then I heard him mutter, _"This is why I suggested we have sliding, code-entry doors rather than these stupid things." _Then in a stronger voice, _"If that's how you want to act, Nicole, we will wait. Sooner or later you're going to have to come out to eat and you're going to have to sleep."_

I just scowled and sat back down against Barricade. If they wanted to play that game, then so be it. Two could play at it.

* * *

Nine hours later, my oh-so-strong resolve was slowly, steadily breaking.

I was starving, I was tired, I had to go to the bathroom, and my head was beginning to hurt again. Bad. I hadn't meditated in a long time, and it was beginning to take it's toll on me. I honestly tried to meditate, but there was so much commotion outside that I couldn't concentrate.

Obviously Red Alert reported this. At five hours in, Prowl said through the door, _"Nicole, I know your head is hurting. You need to meditate somewhere quiet."_

"Are you still mad? And don't lie, Prowl."

There was silence.

I smiled grimly and shook my head. "Forget it, Prowl."

After awhile I began to think of random things. Like, really, _really_ random things. Example: pie. For a while I began to think I was loosing my mind when a sudden beeping brought me out of my thoughts.

I looked at one of the monitors beside Barricade. There were flashing lights and an Energon drip hanging from it. Worried, I called through the door, "Ratchet? Jazz? Prowl?"

There was some shuffling outside and then I heard Jazz. _"Somethin' wrong, baby girl?"_

"Yeah, this monitor hooked up to Barricade is flashing and the Energon bag hanging from it looks empty."

There was a pause outside, then I heard Jazz curse. _"Fraggit. Where's Ratchet?"_

Someone said something I couldn't here and there was more shuffling and footsteps. Then I heard cursing as someone pushed their way to the door. _"Nicole? Did you say that the Energon bag looks empty?"_

"Yes."

Ratchet cursed again. _"Let me in right now, Nicole. We cant afford to have air getting in his Energon tubes."_

After a moment of hesitation, I transwarped to the door and unlocked it. I stepped back. " 'Kay, it's open now." I said quietly.

Ratchet was the first to come in. Then he was followed by Jazz, then Prowl, Bumblebee, and last was one still fragged off Ironhide.

Jazz knelt down to me, smiling softly. "Primus, Nicki, that was a long stakeout. Ya were really stuck on keeping' tha' door shut, weren't ya?"

I nodded. "I guess."

The saboteur frowned. "Somethin' wrong?"

I gave a half-hearted shrug. "Tired, I guess. I feel like I lost."

Jazz smiled and shook his helm. Then he held out his servo. "Come on, the Bossbot wants ta talk ta ya." When I stepped on, he said, "And Nicki?"

"Yes, Jazz?"

"Ya didn't lose. By lettin' us in fer yer spark mate ya won in the end."

* * *

I sat down heavily on Optimus' desk.

Jazz had taken me to Optimus' office. Prowl, Bumblebee had followed us after being kicked out by an irate Ratchet. We had had to wait for Optimus because he had to get some things straightened out with the government official that had been here. And I was willing to bet against Smokescreen that they still were.

And you had to be pretty sure or pretty stupid to do that. Which I was a little bit of both.

Optimus didn't act as if he was mad or like he thought it was a bad idea to have a bond with Barricade. Hell, he could've been overjoyed and I wouldn't have noticed because I was too tired and my head was hurting.

The Autobot Commander gazed at me curiously. "Youngling, how do you feel about having a bond Barricade?"

That was not the question I was expecting, but it was the question I had been hoping for.

I turned and looked at Prowl and Ironhide accusingly. "_That_ was the question you should've asked me. Not if I was going to let you kill him off."

Prowl didn't say anything, but he really didn't have to. His door wings were in a stiff V-shape position that told me just what he thought. Ironhide on the other hand…..

"What were you _thinking?_ _Bonding_ to a Decepticon, of all mechs!"

Something in me snapped.

I stood up angrily, my fist clenched by my sides. "He's not a Decepticon anymore! And I didn't exactly mean to bond with him! All I did was fragging touch him! But you know what? I'm _glad _that I have a bond with Barricade! I know how he really feels about me! Do you think that I wouldn't have been able to read his feelings and tell if he really did love me? Do you think I'm that stupid?"

Then I turned to Prowl. "Least of all, Prowl, I would've expected this from you! Considering what Pit you went through with Jazz dying and all, I would have thought you understood. But, no, I was wrong _again!_" Then I growled, glaring at the ground. "It seems like the whole damn universe is against me. Jeez, when I told Bumblebee about the bond, he didn't overreact the way everyone else did. Neither did Ratchet, and neither of them are bonded. That makes absolutely no fragging sense! What's so wrong with me loving Barricade?"

Ironhide opened his mouth, but I put my hands up. "It. Was. Rhetorical!"

He glared and shut his mouth.

I looked at them both. "But all I have to say in the end is…if you have a problem with Barricade, you have a problem with me, then. Since I was pulled in this war, things have been about factions and sides. Well, if you're on my side, then you're siding with Barricade also."

And suddenly I felt like crying again. "I really meant what I said about you being my family. All those years ago, after my parents died, I thought I had no family left. But I realize I was wrong. I had a huge, loving family who watched out for me with out letting me know," I said, looking distinctly at Prowl. He looked away, seemingly unable to meet my gaze.

Swallowing, I looked at the ground. "You're making me choose between my family or Barricade. Don't make me do that. Please."

Then, crying, I transwarped.

First to Prowl's office. I pulled the credit card out and set it on his keyboard where it would be noticed and not lost.

Second, to Taylor's room, which she had told me was a vacant room in the section where the human soldiers slept in. Taylor was sitting on here bed reading a magazine in gray sweats and an overly large t-shirt.

She looked at me in surprise. When she noticed I was crying, she immediately got up and hugged me, asking what was wrong. I didn't say anything. Instead I sobbed like I had at my parents' grave.

I had been hurting so bad on the inside, and now it was hitting me all at once.

* * *

When Willow walked in Taylor's room, she sure hadn't expected to see a crying Nicole.

She had just gotten done talking to Sideswipe. The mech was probably her favorite Autobot yet. He acted like her, thought like her, even said things that she would say. His presence was the most relaxed of the Autobots it seemed, because they either didn't know what to say to her or just were uncomfortable in her presence. Sideswipe had told her about pranks he had already pulled, and for the first time in a long time, Willow wasn't bored with some else's conversation.

But back to walking into Taylor's room.

When she walked in, she had been planning on getting a really late lunch with the blonde. But seeing Nicole laying on Taylor's bed, sobbing with her head in Taylor's lap and said blonde stroking and shushing the black haired girl, made her stop in shock.

After a moment of assessing the situation, Willow went and sat on the end of the bed by Nicole's feet without saying anything. Nicole didn't even notice. She was talking on and on choosing between her family and Barricade.

But after another half hour, Nicole finally fell asleep. But Taylor didn't get up. Instead she stayed, brushing through Nicole's hair like Jennifer had done with Willow when she was upset. It showed her just how close these two girls were.

Willow wondered just what had upset the black haired girl so much. Sure, Willow had been at the meeting. She had seen and heard all of it. After Nicole revealed her bond with Barricade, there had been chaos in the room. When it had all settled down, she had heard that Nicole was doing a stake out in the Med Bay. But she hadn't heard anything about her coming out of the room. So what had happened between then and now?

Apparently a lot, she thought as she looked at Nicole's face.

Earlier, Nicole had cried tears of happiness. Theses were tears of pain.

* * *

Jazz sighed irritably. "Babe, she's jus' upset with everythin' tha' went on today."

"I know, Jazzy, but…..I made her _cry_."

The saboteur shook his head at the look on Prowl's faceplates. "Prowler, the girl's got a lot goin' on right now. She jus' found out tha' she's 'posed ta die 'cause of some stupid legend, her spark mate's in the Med Bay, an' the AllSpark's knowledge is wreakin' havoc on her mind right now. I think's she's gonna cry some."

"But _I _made her _cry_."

Jazz sighed and shook his head again. They were in their quarters now, both of them laying on the berth. Jazz was on his side facing Prowl, and Prowl was on his side facing Jazz. The silver Pontiac put one servo on the side of his lover's faceplates. "I love ya ta death, Prowler, but yer startin' ta sound like a broken record. What's that beautiful processor of yers tellin' ya?"

"That my feelings and actions towards her bond with Barricade upset her."

Jazz, who had retracted his visor, resisted the urge to roll his optics. "Not yer battle computer, Prowl." Seeing the look on the tactician's faceplates, he reached up and kissed Prowl's chevron.

"Okay, look at it this way, Prowler. Nicole jus' wants ya ta get along wit' Barricade. Plain and simple, she loves him like I love ya. She'd do anythin' for him. If wha' she says is true 'bout bein' able ta tell if he loves 'er, then maybe the bond ain't such a bad thing. At a time like this, Nicki's gonna need someone ta comfort 'er and someone ta confide in, someone ta be there ta hold 'er and tell 'er they love 'er with all their spark. Ya see wha' I mean? So it wasn't yer fault tha' she's upset. And the bond is actually a pretty good thin'. For Nicole, it's a symbol of hope, I guess."

Prowl was silent as he stared at Jazz, with a blank but brooding look on his faceplates. After a few more moments, he sighed. "I guess you're right, Jazz."

"Babe, I _am_ right. I was in the girl's head. Some of the thin's in there were pretty messed up. But I know how she thinks."

Prowl smiled. "If her mind is really that messed up, Jazz, then I'm a little worried about her being the Host."

Jazz grinned. "There's my Prowler and his dry humor."

The two mechs just enjoyed the silence for a little longer, while they actually had it. When they finally did break the silence, it was Jazz who spoke first.

"I'm actually kinda jealous of the human femme."

Prowl frowned. "Why?"

" 'Cause she got bonded 'fore I did." Jazz said with a grin.

Prowl smirked and leaned down to kiss Jazz. "We could change that."

Jazz stared at him in surprise after he pulled away. "I thought ya wanted ta do it traditionally?"

The tactician snorted. "Jazzy, it seems that everyone has thrown tradition out of the window lately. And frankly, I don't think I can wait any longer."

"The world must be endin'. Prowl, the rule-book-loving, supposedly has a stick up his aft, no nonsense, killjoy-"

"I think I get the point, Jazz."

"-tactician, has said to Pit with the rules."

Prowl's helm tilted to the second for a moment, as if he was running that through his processor. Then, after a few seconds, he looked at Jazz and smiled.

"Yes. I think that would be about right."

* * *

Barricade POV

Slowly, ever so slowly, I rebooted my systems and onlined my optics.

Every part of me ached. Literally. Not moving for a while can do that to a mech's frame, I had been told. And now I was experiencing it. But I guess it was better than being dead.

I tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down on the berth roughly. "Hold _still_, you fragger. And welcome back to the land of the functioning, Barricade. Even in a forced recharge you caused Pit in this base."

I glared at Ratchet. "Where's Nicole?"

The medic huffed and rolled his optics, studying a monitor hooked up to me. "Of course. Typical bonded bot. 'Where's my spark mate?'" He mimicked in a high voice. "Not even a fraggin' 'Thank you, Ratchet, for bringing me back from deactivation'. One of these days I wont be here to piece you idiots back together."

"Thank you, Ratchet." I said as best as I could without sounding sarcastic.

"Mute it, Barricade. I'm not done."

I waited for a few more minutes before he told me to try and stand up. I managed on the first try. When I finally was standing up, I only then noticed Jazz standing there.

Before any of them could say anything, Ratchet stuck an Energon cube in my faceplates. "Drink it. Slowly." I did as he said, and, finally, after more scans, the medic finally deemed me functional and able to leave the Med Bay as long as I rested and refueled.

Then he kicked us out.

"Where is Nicole?" Was the first question I asked when we were alone in the hallway.

Jazz grinned cheerfully. The mech seemed happier than usual "I think she's havin' a lil' sleep over wit' Taylor an' Willow."

"Willow?"

"A human femme tha' was there when the 'Cons attacked. She was caught in the cross fire. Now she's staying on base."

"Hmm." Was all I said.

Then Jazz started walking in one direction, apparently wanting me to follow. It didn't take me long to catch up with the smaller mech. "Where are we going?"

"Ta Prowler's office. He wants ta say somethin' ta ya before Nicki finds ya an' drags ya back ta yer quarters."

I didn't say anything. What did the SIC of the Autobots have to say to me? After a few more minutes of walking, we finally reached the office. Jazz entered without knocking, and no one yelled at him to get out, so I followed him in.

The tactician was sitting at his desk writing a data file. He looked up when we came in. Prowl smiled at Jazz as the saboteur walked behind his desk and leaned against the wall behind him. "Well, Prowler, I brought 'im like ya asked."

"Thank you, Jazz. Barricade, have a seat." He said coolly. Once I had, he clasped his servos on the desk. He opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again, then shut it again. Prowl repeated this several times before rubbing his servos over his faceplates with a sigh. "I cant believe I'm doing this…"

Behind him, Jazz chuckled. "Wha' Prowler's tryin' ta say is tha' he's sorry."

I tilted my helm to the side in confusion. "Sorry?"

Jazz nodded, still grinning brightly while Prowl looked up. "I….overreacted to your bond with Nicole."

I tensed up. Then, after another few tense moments, I asked, "How did you find out?"

"Nicole told us during a meeting."

I frowned. I guess I should've known that, since I had talked to her right before she explained how she was the Host. But sometime while she was talking, I had faded out into an actual recharge again.

Then another thought struck me, one that made actually fear for my life.

"How did everyone else react?"

Prowl looked grim while Jazz snorted. "Well, most of'em sorts started a riot, I guess ya could say. Hmm. No, not a riot, but certainly an uproar 'bout the whole thing. Lotsa shouting an' protestin' an' jumpin' around. Ya shoulda seen Ironhide's faceplates."

I groaned and buried my faceplates in my servos. "Great. Now if I set foot outside I'll most likely get shot at."

"Naw, nobody's gonna shoot at ya since yer bonded ta Nicki."

That didn't make me feel much better.

Prowl sighed. "Barricade, I will make sure no one tries to harm you while you're here at the base. I owe you that much for overreacting the way I did."

I gazed at him curiously. "What did you exactly do?"

When Prowl didn't answer, Jazz sighed. "Nicole holed up in the Med Bay with ya an' locked the doors. Basically had a stakeout outside the Med Bay. Finally opened the doors after nine hours."

"What made her open the doors?"

"One of those monitors the doc bot had hooked up ta ya started beepin' 'cause the Energon drip was runnin' out. Ratch couldn't afford ta have air gettin' in yer Energon lines, so she had ta open the door."

I nodded, still half-amazed at the things Nicole did for me. The femme was stubborn and didn't like to be beaten. I almost snorted. The things we do for love. Then again, I couldn't say anything since I went all the way to fragging Canada just to make sure the Autobots or Decepticons didn't find us. "How long ago was this?" I asked absently.

Prowl's optics dimmed as he checked his internal chronometer. "Six and a half hours. I think Nicole is still asleep in Taylor's quarters. You should be able to find her through the bond."

I nodded to him, then to Jazz, and got up to leave. But just as I opened the door to leave, Prowl called me back.

He held out his servo to me. Not really sure what this meant, I opened my own. The tactician dropped a small credit card in my servo. "Give this to Nicole. Tell her I'm sorry that I upset her."

* * *

Taylor and Willow had left just to get something to eat. That's all. They were only gone for twenty five minutes.

But apparently that was enough time for the twins to sneak into Taylor's room and find the beauty products.

* * *

Sideswipe slid the credit card back in his hologram's pocket. "Remind me to thank Epps for letting me borrow his credit card."

"You didn't borrow it. You stole it out of his wallet that he left in the Rec room." Sunny said dryly.

"In my dictionary it's called _borrowing_ with out the person knowing, Sunny."

"That's still called stealing."

"No it's not…But let's not tell Epps anyway, okay?"

Sunny snorted as his twin opened the door to Taylor's room. "Just why are we doing this anyway?"

"Because Willow and Taylor left to go get lunch, leaving Nicole in here, asleep. It's the perfect opportunity to pull a prank on her."

"With what?"

"Have you noticed that Nicole doesn't wear make up like Taylor? Wait, of course you have. You have the universe's biggest crush on her. You've practically been stalking her."

Sunstreaker aimed a swipe at Sideswipe's head. "I have been stalking her. And what about you and Willow?"

"We're just friends."

"If I had a cube of high grade for every time I've caught you staring at her, I could open a bar here on Earth."

"Like you haven't done the same to Taylor." Came the sharp remark from where Sideswipe was digging through a bag laying beside the door. "This is Willow's bag…" He muttered.

Sunny settled for a glare instead of saying something back and began looking around the room. The room was still neat except for some magazines and some clothes strewn around the room. There were some make up products and a glittery pink cell phone on the desk. On the bed was Nicole, still asleep.

"Are you sure we should do this, Sides? I mean, come on. She looks so peaceful."

"Oh my Primus, the apocalypse has finally come. Sunny's getting soft. Have you forgotten how painful it was to be sent into stasis lock forcefully?" Before Sunstreaker could reply, he stood up with a small box in his hand. He smiled and shook it. "You know what this is?"

"A portable processor for you?"

"It's human hair dye. Hot pink."

"So?"

"So, it just happens to have instructions on the back and Nicole just happens to be asleep. Now go into the bathroom and get a towel and turn on the hot water in the sink. I'm going to go get a bowl…"

* * *

Taylor and Willow were just throwing away their trash when the twins came running into the Rec room, both of them smiling like idiots. They watched suspiciously as the twins sat on the couch and turned on the TV. The other mechs and femmes in the room were also suspicious.

Jazz had just walked in with Prowl when suddenly there was a scream of rage that echoed across the base. All of them tensed up. But suddenly the TV screen changed to show the Communications room and one fragged off looking Nicole in front of the screen.

"TWINS, I AM SO GOING TO _MURDER _YOU!" She shouted at the screen before looking behind her. "And someone get Ratchet or First Aid here. I think I made Red Alert glitch."

Then the screen went blank.

Ratchet, who had been in the room at the time, cursed colorfully as he stood up with his cube. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He muttered.

Then Jazz and several others burst out laughing. Prowl glared at the twins. "Why was her hair pink?"

Taylor looked bewildered. "Was she wearing make up?"

Willow was glaring at the twins. "Why'd you have to use that color? I liked that one!"

Sunny smack Sideswipe on the back of the helm. "I told you that was a bad idea."

"No you didn't."

"Well, I was thinking it."

Sides optics were still wide. "I didn't think humans could look that mad…."

And thus the prank war was started.

* * *

Hey guys! Guess what?

WE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! YES!

Thank you so much to those who have read and reviewed, favorited, and alerted! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Im so happy im crying! *sniffles*

Wow, just for this, I will do the first date one-shot with Barricade and Nicole. I don't know when it'll be up, but it should be soon. Look out for it. It will be called 'The First Date'.

Wow. I'm still crying.

But anyways, I'm not really happy with the Barricade part of this chap. No, not that much. The rest of it is pretty much okay.

**Forever Dreaming Grace: **Congrats, you ARE the 100th review!

**Estar:** my knowledge of Transformers comes from reading the stories and watching the movies every week. I've only been reading Transformers since last June. This story was published towards the end of July, I think.

Next Chapter:** MORE NICOLE AND BARRICADE FLUFF! AND NICOLE PLOTS AGAINST THE TWINS.**


	15. Prank War 101

Chapter 15:

Nicole POV

"It's not that bad…."

"Liar. I can see that smile on your faceplates." I grumbled, still looking in the mirror at my now hot pink hair. "Too bad Prowl said I couldn't kill the twins."

I glared at Barricade's hologram in the mirror. He was still smiling. "You better wipe that grin off your faceplates or you're going to find yourself missing a bond mate."

He just laughed softly before wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my ear. "You wouldn't do that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You love me too much."

I frowned at his reflection as he pulled my pink hair back from my face. "Confident mech, aren't you? I hate it when you're right."

Barricade just kept smiling. "You already washed the make up off, I see."

"God, yes. It felt weird."

"It…wasn't that bad."

I snorted. "Barricade, they used the mascara like a paintbrush and wrote 'Idiot' across my forehead. And I looked like a clown with all that blue and pink eye shadow. Why Taylor has so much in so many different colors is beyond me."

Barricade shook his head and held his hand out. "Do you have a hair band or something?"

I pulled a rubber band off my wrist. "Will this do?"

"Yeah." He pulled my hair back and started to brush through it with a brush that Taylor had given me. The white streak that had been in my hair was now hidden by the bright pink dye.

Once he was done I turned around and wrapped my arms around his waist. "So, lover, you want to sneak out?"

"Sneak out?"

"Yeah. Like, the car wash and then an auto repair shop. Then we can go to Home Depot and Wal-Mart. After that we can do anything you want."

"Why the auto repair shop? Ratchet said I was fine."

I snorted again. "Barricade, babe, have you not looked in a mirror? You need a new paintjob."

He smiled. "I guess you're right."

"I am right. I'm always right."

"Now who's confident?" Before I could reply, he bent down and scooped me up, his arms under my legs and back.

Surprised, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Whoa. That was unexpected."

My sparkmate didn't say anything as he carried me out of the bathroom bridal style and I watched as the mech form of him transformed back into a Mustang. The driver's door opened and he set me in gently.

His hologram disappeared and we rolled towards the open hangar door. It was night outside now, and only a few people and bots were still in the hangar. As we passed the checkpoint, Barricade asked me, "Are you sure we can leave?"

I waved away his concern. "We're too far gone now. And if we do get in trouble, I'll take the blame. What's the worst they can do? Send me to my room?" I said, thinking back to Ratchet's punishment.

"Our room."

"Our room." I agreed.

"What do you need at Wal-Mart and Home Depot anyway?"

"Hmm, can't tell you yet, 'Cade."

Barricade's engine revved as he sped faster on the open desert. "I may be your spark mate, but I do not want to be involved in the prank war, got it?"

"Meow. But fine, I wont ask for your help."

"Good."

* * *

Three hours later….

"Can you open the trunk already? These bags are freakin' heavy."

Barricade did as I said and opened the trunk. I had twenty something Wal-Mart bags on my arms. Each filled with things to use to prank the twins.

Call me paranoid, but I kept looking over my shoulder because I was expecting a 'Con to jump out and start shooting us down. Barricade must've seen this, because he turned his hologram on and helped me put the Wal-Mart bags in beside the Home Depot ones, which were filled with hand tools and other hardware that were also going to aid me in the prank war.

No doubt the twins were gathering all of their things, too.

After I had finally shut the trunk, I studied Barricade's new paint job. While I had been in Wal-Mart and Home Depot, he had gone to a 24/7 Auto Shop. They had done a spectacular job, I must say. Barricade now sported two pristine white stripes that contrast with the shiny black. I was amazed at how fast they had done it.

"Like it?" Barricade asked, pulling out of the parking spot while I observed from the street. "Definitely. You look hot, babe. How'd it dry so fast?"

"I used my heating panels to make it dry faster. You should've seen the looks on the mechanics faces when I told them it was dry."

Smirking, I got in the driver's seat. "Too bad you didn't take a picture."

* * *

An hour later…..

"Ohh, ya got in trouble, Nicki."

"Shut up, Jazz."

The saboteur continued to tease me as I walked to my quarters I shared with Barricade. After getting back to base, I had met an angry Ratchet and an annoyingly cheerful Jazz(sure, I knew he had finally bonded to Prowl, it was about time, but did he have to be so…._happy_ about _everything_? Like me getting chewed out?).

Anyway, the medic sent Barricade to our quarters, deciding that the whole thing was my fault. Of course, I didn't say anything, but my sparkmate looked very smug as he walked out the Med Bay's doors. Ratchet had once again lectured me about being responsible and mature and all that crap. I only half-listened, talking to Barricade over the bond(when the Hatchet realized what I was doing, he turned on his hologram and smacked me on the back of my head). In the end, the irate medic sent me back to my room.

This, like last time, really peeved me, but I kept my mouth shut and walked out with Jazz following.

As we turned a corner, Jazz started playing the Cops theme song, Bad Boys. I glared at him. "You have to be the most immature mech I have ever met, Jazz. I seriously don't see how you got the position of TIC."

" 'Cause I'm charmin' and got a cute aft."

"Jazz, I'm pretty sure that only Prowl thinks you have a cute aft."

"So? I still do."

"I'm not going to even comment on that."

Jazz snorted, visor glowing brightly. "Ya got chewed out by the Hatchet."

I rolled my eyes. "I am very aware of that, thank you."

"Yer very welcome, Nicki."

"Why are you even walking around at this hour, _Jazzy_?" I asked, throwing his own nickname at him.

I might as well have been talking to damn wall. Jazz seemed to be off in another world now, his visor dim but somehow he still managed to not walk into walls as we turned corners. After a minute, I stopped walking, my hands on my hips and glaring a hole in the back of Jazz's helm as he kept walking. The mech was oblivious to the fact that I had stopped.

I sighed and ran to catch up with him. When I was closer, I took off my shoe, aimed, and threw the tennis shoe, hitting him smack in the back of the helm.

Jazz jumped like I had shot him and whirled around, weapon system already engaging. I shook my head and waved at him. "Yo, earth to Jazz. What planet were you on while I was talking?"

If I could've seen Jazz's optics, I would've bet he blinked. Staring at my shoe on the ground now, he said, "I was talkin' ta Prowler. He's in his office right now, doin' some reports."

I rolled my eyes as I picked up my shoe. "Of course." I muttered.

Jazz was still staring at me. "How the frag did you hit my helm?"

"You're not the tallest Autobot, Jazz."

"I wouldn't be talkin', _human_."

I froze in tying my shoe. Shoelaces forgotten, I stood up and pointed at the silver Solstice, glaring again. "Oh no. You _so _did not just pull the species card."

He crossed his arms, looking smug. "I think I jus' did."

My eyes narrowed at him. "Well, Jazz, you just found your way to second place on my prank list, right after the twins. And I bought plenty of things to use."

The saboteur shrugged, grinning. "Ohhh, I supposed to be 'fraid?"

I started walking backwards down the hall, still facing him. "Yes, be very afraid-" I yelped as suddenly I fell backwards, having stepped on my shoelaces.

I groaned at Jazz's laughing faceplates as he leaned over me. "Don'cha know how ta tie yer shoelaces, Nicki?"

He took off down the hall as I sat up, trying to decide whether or not to shock him into stasis and deal with Prowl's wrath.

"Damn saboteur." I muttered, getting up.

Barricade, the bastard, was laughing on the other end of the bond.

* * *

Prank 1:

Jazz was unnerved. Nicole was acting too happy, especially for as little sleep as she should've gotten last night.

When he had walked into the Rec. room that morning(after dragging Prowl back to their quarters the night before), he had been surprised to see Taylor and Willow standing around a smirking Nicole, who ignored their questions and continued to flip through the channels on TV. He had gotten an Energon cube and sat at a table where he could observe.

After a few more minutes of trying, the two human femmes had given up and stomped out of the Rec. room. It was then that Nicole had transwarped right next to him on the table. "What's up, Jazz?"

"Nothin'…" He said, giving the girl a wary look.

She grinned wickedly. "What's wrong, Jazz? You act….disturbed."

"The look on yer face is disturbin' me."

Nicole put her hand over her heart, feigning mock hurt. "So hurtful, Jazz."

Jazz finished the cube in one gulp and stood up, trying to look imposing to the human. "Okay, Nicole, what'd ya do this time?" Then he looked around, surprised, just noticing that her sparkmate wasn't in the room with the other Autobots and few humans. "Where's 'Cade?"

"He's sleeping late." She said, sitting down on the table. "And what makes you think I did anything?"

By now, bystanders in the room began to notice what was going on and were watching in interest. Jazz ignored them, and held his servos up. "One, ya look happy. Two, last night ya were makin' threats 'bout pranks, but now ya act as if nothin' happened. Three, my instincts tell me something's 'bout ta happen, and I don't want to be anywhere close when it happens."

Nicole scowled up at him. "Well then. I didn't know it was a crime to be happy." She shrugged, scowl dropping and the I-don't-really-care look came back. "Just wait, Jazz. You'll see."

Jazz glared at the human femme, but the look was lost on the human femme as she continued to watch TV from her perch on the table. The saboteur sighed and started to make his way to Prowl's office. Since being resurrected, he had started doing his work in Prowl's office.

An hour later, Jazz had his pedes on Prowl's desk and the chair he was sitting tilted back, reading the latest report from Mirage. His bond mate sat across from him, typing away on his computer.

That's when he heard the first explosion.

Prowl shot straight out of his chair while Jazz toppled backwards with a yelp. But as soon as he got over his shock he scrambled back up. He and his sparkmate shared a look before both of them started scanning for 'Cons.

Neither of them detected anything, but they could hear several thundering footsteps and shouts outside the door.

_~Prowl to Ironhide. What was that?~ _The tactician the Weapons Specialist as he and Jazz began to follow the stream of Autobots and humans towards the explosion.

_~…..You better come to the training room and see for yourself, Prowl.~ _

Prowl swore he heard a grin in the connection.

Jazz and Prowl stared at the scene before them.

And _stared._

Then Jazz burst out laughing and even Prowl grinned.

When they had gotten to the training room, they had found the twins, strung up from the ceiling by a cable. Sideswipe's pede was caught in a loop of thick cable along with both of Sunstreaker's pedes. Both of them had pink glittery paste splattered all over their frames in random splotches.

Neither of them were laughing like the crowd surrounding them.

Below them, Nicole was standing with two thing: a camera and what looked like a Nerf water gun filled with pink glitter paste.

The human femme was snapping pictures from all angles, occasionally stopping to shoot a few squirts of paste at the two mechs. Said mechs were cursing her to Pit and back.

Prowl and Jazz shouldered their way to the front. Nicole looked up grinning. "Hey, Prowl, Jazz."

Jazz waved absently, still gawking at the twins. Prowl, instead, tried vainly to restrain the grin on his faceplates. He failed. "Um, Nicole? Why would the twins be…" At loss for words, he gestured to their predicament.

They scowled at him.

She continued to snap pictures. "Well, last night, after everyone fell asleep, I came in here and set up this little trap. There were sensor panels under the area of the loop. It was supposed to activate whenever only the twins stepped on it. And, as you can see, it did."

Sideswipe glared at the girl while Sunstreaker tried to spit glitter out of his mouth. "How the frag did you rig it to go off for our exact weight?"

"I hacked the Hatchet's files-"

There was a colorful curse from the medic but it was lost to the voices of the bystanders.

"-and set it. Then I rigged up that pulley system over there to yank the cable up automatically," She finished, pointing towards the system. "After that, I just put a sign in the middle of the loop that said, 'Step if you dare'. Being the idiots they are, they of course stepped in it."

Sunstreaker started to cuss at the girl again until she picked the gun up and shot him in the mouth with it. "You'd be surprised how many times I've had to do that." She muttered.

Jazz finally overcame his shock and stared down at Nicole with new respect. "I don't think I'll ever doubt ya 'gain, Nicki."

Nicole grinned at him. "Thank you, Jazz. Oh, and one more thing-" She aimed the Nerf gun at him and started to squirt. "Payback!"

Jazz, in turn, ducked behind a shocked Prowl after two squirts. Which led to Prowl being squirted. Which made the amusement leave Prowl's faceplates.

With a firm frown, Prowl pointed towards the door. "Office. Now."

She groaned, but turned to leave... After trying to squirt Jazz again.

* * *

Prank 2:

"Did you find it?"

"Yeah, but not before the thing scratched my paint."

"Deal with it, sunshine. Now, give it here."

"Surely you're not going to drop it in the bucket, Sides? I thought you were smarter than that."

"No, I'm going to dump the bucket on it."

"Oh. Well, just hurry."

* * *

Prowl was enjoying his bookfile. Until he heard an enraged screech echo across the base.

Three days before Prowl had sentenced Nicole to what Jazz called 'Detention'. It was where the human girl would sit in a cell specially designed for transwarping Decepticons with absolutely nothing but a dictionary. He had also forced Barricade into blocking the bond with her, after much arguing with the Mustang. In the end, there had been one fragged-off-at-her-bondmate and bored Nicole.

About halfway through the five hour punishment she had started reading the dictionary.

Back to reading his bookfile.

Prowl sighed, put his bookfile down, and got up, ready to deal with whatever had happened now. Before he could leave his desk though, there was a flash of blue light and Nicole appeared on his desk.

She had tried to wash out the pink dye, and only half succeeded, leaving her hair a weird pink and black mixture. Now she had her hair pinned up and looked like a smaller version of a fragged off Ratchet. And what was she holding….?

Nicole glared up a Prowl. "Prowl, those idiots touched my cat!"

"What?" Prowl asked, feeling his processor start to grind to halt.

"Look!" She held out her arms. What she had been holding was the cat named Spice, only now she was…..green.

Prowl bent down to examine the cat. Spice glared back sullenly. "Why is your cat green, Nicole?"

"What do you think, Prowl? The twins, that's what! They _dyed _Spice, my baby!"

"Your….baby?"

"Yes!"

"And…you want me to punish them?""Well, I certainly didn't come here to ask you to give them a Goddamn medal!"

Prowl continued to stare at the strange scene before straightening up and looking away. Just _staring_ at the feline made him want to glitch…..

"I'll...see what I can do..." He said slowly, still trying not to let his processor lock up.

Nicole grunted, brushing her fingers through Spice's now green hair. "Good." Turning her attention back to her cat, she said in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry..." Then she transwarped.

Prowl continued to stare at the spot where she had been before walking out in the hall with a dazed look on his face. As the door closed behind him, he muttered, "I think I need to go for a drive..."

* * *

Prank 3:

Both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe walked through the halls of the base, looking over their shoulders every so often and jumping at the slightest noises. Sunny nearly went into battle mode when Bluestreak said hi.

The Twin Terrors were suspecting Nicole to pull a prank, at anytime. Neither of them had been able to wash off all of the pink glitter, so for the past week and a half they had been glittery. Sunny had nearly used up all of his best soap trying to wash the glue-like substance off.

Everyone in the base was immensely enjoying it too. The fact that the twins were on the receiving end of pranks now was hilarious. The twins didn't really think it was funny. Not. One. Bit.

Finally, _finally_, they made it to their quarters. While Sideswipe checked the door for tampering, Sunstreaker kept watch. After making sure it wasn't tampered with, Sides opened the door, then moved to the side really quick to avoid anything that came out.

Sure enough, neon green paint splattered the wall where the twins had been standing. Sunny snorted. "That was so amateur."

Sides nodded, grinning. "A shame, really. I though we taught her better."

"A shame." His twin agreed as they walked into their quarters.

They both froze when they saw what was in front of them. And _aimed _at them.

Hanging from the ceiling was a large bucket that was dripping green paint on the floor. On the floor there were four paint ball guns set on tripods, each loaded and pointed at them.

And in the middle of the row of paint ball guns, with her own loaded guns, was Nicole, wearing goggles and a slag-eating grin.

Pointing the gun at them, she said, "Surprise, surprise. You honestly didn't think that was my best shot, did you?"

Then she fired, and the paint ball guns fired.

* * *

Jazz was on monitor duty when he first saw the twins.

On camera fifteen, he saw them scramble out of their quarters, covered in something. Too bad the cameras were black and white.

He leaned forward for a better view, optics squinting behind his visor. Then on camera sixteen, they were running down the halls, towards Optimus' and Prowls' offices. He quickly his sparkmate and commander to open their office doors but stay out of the hall. They had to see this.

* * *

Prowl stepped out in his office, confused. The hall was empty save for Optimus, who had just stepped out of his office. He sent his commander a questioning look. "Did Jazz tell you exactly what was so important for us to abandon our-". The tactician was cut off as they both heard pounding footsteps from down the hall. They simultaneously leaned out of their doorways to see what it was.

Two silver, gold, and….neon pink…blurs whipped past them.

Prowl looked at the Prime again. His faceplates echoed exactly what he was thinking. _'What the frag was _that_?'_

Just as Optimus opened his mouth, there was a flash of blue light and Nicole appeared, yelled, "Gotcha!", and fired what looked like a paint ball gun at Optimus.

After firing off a few shots, she realized exactly who it was and stopped firing. Nicole's hazel eyes were wide behind her goggles. "Oops. Well, shit. Sorry, Optimus, I though you were one of the twins."

Then she transwarped again.

After a moment of stunned silence, Prowl asked, "How the frag did she mistake you for one of the twins?"

Optimus wasn't looking at Prowl. He was looking down at his now neon pink splattered chest plates. After another moment of staring, he sighed and started walking down the hall, towards the wash racks. "Elita is going to be amused when she hears about this…."

* * *

That night, after Nicole finally gave up the chase because she ran out of paint balls, the twins tried vainly to wash off the paint. Except it had dried. And all of the paint remover in the base had either disappeared or everyone was with holding their own stock from the twins. Even the extra silver and gold paint had disappeared.

So, after three hours of scrubbing and cursing, the twins had walked shamefully back to their quarters. They were _covered _in neon pink paint. And everyone had laughed at their faceplates the whole time.

When Jazz saw them, he said, "Wow. She's was really hung up on the pink hair thing, wasn't she?"

That had gotten him two glares.

Both twins eyed the wall across from their quarters. The green paint had been scrubbed free. Just as they walked in their quarters, Sides spotted a large box that had been planted just inside the door.

"Hey, Sunny, come here."

"What?" The mostly pink warrior said irritably.

Sideswipe held up two Transformer-sized paint bottles. One was red, the other was a bright yellow. Attached to the red bottle was a small note. It read:

'_You can either stay neon pink or be ketchup and mustard. I'll let you pick who gets which color. _

_; ) It was fun, mechs!_

_Your favorite human,_

_Nicole'_

Both of twins stared at the note. Then Sideswipe said, "She. Is. Evil."

Sunny glared at the two bottles. "That was some whole elaborate scheme just to get us change our paint?"

"Apparently so."

"Well, I'm not going to fall for it."

Sunny stood up clutching the red bottle and stalked to the door. "I'm going to go tell her just what I think about this-"

As he threw the door open, a series of flashes went off, and then blurs looked suspiciously like Beachcomber and the Chevy twins took off down the hall, cackling.

Sides watched to see Sunny's reaction. For a moment, he just stood there. Then he took a step back into the room, slammed the door, and turned around glowering.

"I call yellow."

* * *

Prank 4:

Nicole POV

"Hey, Jazz." I said cheerfully as I walked in the Rec room.

Jazz waved absently, focusing on his poker game with Smokescreen, Cliffjumper, Mirage, and Hound.

Barricade walked in behind me and went towards the Energon dispenser. The Autobots and humans in the room barely glanced at him. It seemed that over the past two weeks and a half, ever since I had announced my bond to Barricade, the residents of the base had grown used to his presence. As you can guess, this made me one happy Nicole.

While I waited for Barricade to come back, I transwarped to one of the Transformer-sized with a human sized chair. I sat down to wait for my sparkmate. Once he returned, we started talking about random things.

In the middle of his sentence, Barricade cut off as his optics flashed. I shivered. His optics. I was ashamed to admit it, but…..Barricade's optics sort of unnerved me. Okay, _scared _me. They reminded me too much of Megatron's optics. Barricade had noticed, too, which made it all worse. I hoped I was able to keep my thoughts out of the bond, but Barricade wasn't stupid. He knew something was bothering me.

He looked back down at me. I forced myself to meet his gaze. "What was it?"

"Ratchet. He said to get my aft down to the Med Bay for a check up."

"Check up?"

"A three week check up since Megatron nearly shot my spark out. This should be my last one if everything goes well, which it will."

I gave him a weak smile. "That's great, babe." Then I looked away from his optics.

I felt concern from his end of the bond. He gently lifted my face to look at his faceplates. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Barricade."

He frowned at my response. I winced mentally. I hated lying to him.

Instead of questioning me further, Barricade stood up. "I'll be back in a little while."

" 'Kay."

"See you later."

I watched as my sparkmate left the room, my heart twisting. Why oh why was I so afraid of my sparkmate?

_You are not afraid of him. You are afraid of what his optics remind of. _

I jumped at the sudden voice. That voice was familiar…..

Suddenly it dawned on me. The AllSpark was speaking to me.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. _Great, now I have a psychiatrist in my head._

I sighed, then tried to shift in my chair. Only my butt wouldn't move.

Frowning, I looked at the chair. It seemed normal….

Wait. What was that on the seat….? I touched it and tried to pull my finger back. It stuck to the chair.

My eyes widened. I tried to get out of the chair. The chair lifted off the table.

Oh _shit_.

I was either going crazy, or the twins had glued the chair. If they had, it was very fast drying glue.

I looked over the edge of the table at the other human chairs surrounding the human tables. Taylor, Willow, and Simmons were sitting in three of four chairs surrounding the tables. And all of the chairs had a glistening shine to them. Surely the twins weren't that dumb as to put glue in all of the chairs….

Shit, shit, shit…..

I tried to turn the chair around to face Jazz, but do you know how hard that is when both of your hands are glued to the sides of the seat? (I had accidentally put both hands on the sides in an attempt to turn around; yes, that means I qualify for an idiot)

"Jazz! Psst! Jazz!" I tried to whisper, since I knew his sensitive audios would pick it up.

At first he just glanced at me. "Wha', Nicki? I'm kinda in the middle of somethin' here."

"Yeah, well, I'm kinda stuck to the chair here!"

That made him look up. "What?"

"I'm stuck to this damn fragging chair!"

"Stuck ta it? How?"

"The twins put glue in all of the chairs."

At this point Jazz stood up, after putting his cards face down. As he walked over me, I watched Smokescreen try to peek under the deck. Mirage slapped his servo away.

Jazz bent down to look me in the eye. "So ya can't get up?"

"No, and my hands are stuck, too."The silver mech stared at me for a few seconds before laughing. I glared at him. "Shut up! Before someone notices!"

Too late. The mechs who had been playing poker were now interested, and so were Taylor, Willow, and Simmons.

I groaned as Taylor tried to get up. And failed. I had been correct. The twins were idiots. They had put glue in every chair.

Well, this certainly didn't help either of their chances with Taylor or Willow.

* * *

"They did WHAT?"

Prowl, Optimus, and Wheeljack stared at us with wide optics. I groaned again, still glued to the fragging chair that Jazz currently holding. Mirage was holding Willow while Hound held Taylor. Simmons had flat out refused to be carried in what he called 'such a demeaning fashion'. Smokescreen had just come along for the show.

Willow was still cursing up a storm under her breath as they stared at us. Taylor just stared at her lap, hands still glued to the side like mine, looking like she was in shock.

Once again, I tried to shift in the chair, but no such luck. I was really starting to get a rash in some places better not mentioned.

The twins were going to pay for this.

"They dumped glue in every human chair in the Rec room. And, as you can see, it worked."

They stared at us for another few seconds before Optimus' optics went dim. I assumed he was going to call the twins. Prowl seemed to make a decision as his door wings straightened up. "That's it. I'm putting an end to this…..prank war."

Off to the side, I heard Smokescreen groan. "But it was just getting good…."

Note to self: glare at him whenever Jazz turns around, seeing as I can't turn myself.

Jazz, who I just knew was grinning, asked, "Well, 'Jack, anyway we can get'em off the chairs with out acid or bombs or any other harmful devices?"

Wheeljack continued to stare at Willow, who had a scowl on her face and her arms crossed. "Do scissors count as harmful devices?"

Once the meaning of the question dawned on us three girls, Taylor made a strangled noise in her throat and Willow started cursing again.

"No damn fragging way are you cutting my pants off! These are some of my favorites! Look how old they are!" She started pointing to several Sharpie markings. "Look! That was three years ago!"

Smokescreen actually looked while the other mechs in the room smiled, except Prowl, who remained serious. "I'm sorry, Willow, but it appears that that is the only option."

Willow started to squirm, cursing Prowl, the twins, and the dude who invented glue.

I looked at Taylor, knowing how much she valued her clothes. My eyes went wide. "Taylor, are you _crying_?"

She looked at me pitifully and nodded. "Yeah…"

I shook my head, amazed. "How do you love your clothes so much?"

"Jus' the way Sunstreaker an' Tracks love their paint." Jazz said, and though I couldn't see him, I knew he was smiling.

I tried to turn around and glare at him, and failed. "Oh, sure, Jazz! Laugh all you slagging want to! If our roles were reversed, you'd be pretty fragged off too!"

"Nicki, if our roles were reversed like ya said, ya wouldn't be able to hold me like I am ya."

"_Again_! With the species card! What is wrong with you!"

"Lotsa things."

"Dammit, Jazz-"

I was cut off as the door opened, and in walked a red Sideswipe and a yellow Sunstreaker. So, they had actually repainted themselves.

The smug looks on their faceplates disappeared when _both _Willow _and _Taylor started saying things that I had never heard come from their mouths. Taylor, sweet, little, kind, blonde, Taylor, was cussing! Amazing(somewhere in the back of my mind I shouted 'Hallelujah!', too)!

And Willow. The girl had dyed her hair a bright red color a few days before, and now I swear it was turning a dark red as her face got red from anger.

A look of horror came onto the twins faces. If I could've, I would've crossed my arms. Instead I just smirked. "You two are so fragged."

Both of them shot me glare. "Snitch." said Sideswipe over the dirty words coming from my two female compadres.

That made me even madder. "You little fragger-" I started to shout, but Optimus put his servos up and shouted, "_Silence!_"

Everyone in the room got quiet.

He glared at me, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker. "You three. Brig now." Then he looked at Willow and Taylor. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid….you'll have to cut yourself out. I can get someone to help you-"

Willow cut him off. "Oh no way in hell are you getting someone to help me cut my pants off!" I started cracking up at that, but Prowl shot me a glare. I (wisely) shut up. Willow continued. "If anyone's going to do it, it's going to be me. Once I'm out, I'm going to kill _them_." She gave the twins pointed glares. Sides winced. Sunny scowled.

Taylor sniffed. "What about me?"

"I'll help you, _then_ kill them." Then, almost as if it was after though, she turned and glared at me. "I might get you too for starting this whole thing."

If I could've thrown my hands up, I would be doing it now. "I didn't start it! They dyed my hair!"

"You shocked us!" The twins shouted simultaneously.

"_Brig. Now._" Prowl ordered in a stern voice.

I sagged in my seat. "Well, damn."

* * *

Barricade POV

"Are you done yet?"

"Barricade, ask me again and I'll give you a reason to stay here overnight." Ratchet snapped.

I shut my mouth, because I knew the medic would act on the threat, and Nicole would be less than pleased that I wouldn't be able to return to quarters.

I sighed. Nicole. She…was afraid of me. Or not me, but my optics. They reminded her too much of a Decepticon, specifically Megatron. She had tried to hide it through the bond, but I could tell the way she acted that she had been bothered by something. When she started looking away from my optics it fell into place. What kind of sparkmate was I, scaring the love of my life?

I watched as Ratchet began to study the scans on my systems. Now was as good as time as any….

"Ratchet?"

"What?" He snapped irritably.

"I want you to change my optics to blue."

* * *

Me: Dun, dun, DUN!

Abusive Me: Ow.

Me: What?

Abusive Me: You just yelled in my ear, bitch.

Me: Deal with it. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, return of the Me's….yay…I guess….

Nice Me: Why don't you sound happier? Aren't you glad we're back?

Me: No, not really.

Nice Me: *Starts to cry* Why not?

Random Me: OH, OH, TEACHER! PICK ME! *jumps up and down, waving hand*

Abusive Me: *grabs her hair and pulls her back down*

Random Me: Ow, ow, ow…

Liar Me: Of course she's glad we're back!

Me: Dammit, Liar, I don't feel like dealing with you right now. Anyway, back to the story. Well, we have a cliffhanger! Sort of… I tried to aim for a humorous chap. I'm not really sure I succeeded, seeing as I've had this in my head the past two months. In my opinion, I don't really like this chapter, because the plot moved, like, three millimeters. Not much. Review if this is a good chap!


	16. In Which Jazz Acts Like Dr Phil

Chapter 16:

Barricade POV

Ratchet stared at me with wide optics. "You want me to _what_?"

"I want you to change my optics to blue."

He continued to stare at me. "…..Blue?"

"Yes, Ratchet, _blue._"

I was afraid that I had made him crash when he didn't react. Then he shook his head, startling me. "About time." I heard him mutter.

It was my turn to stare at him. " 'About time'?"

"Yes, about time. I thought you would've changed by now. Now I can tell Nicole I told you so."

"You were talking about me?"

"Don't look so shocked, Barricade. But, yes, I will do it. I just hope you're prepared for everyone's reactions."

I stared at my servos, thinking over what he had said. "Why can you tell Nicole I told you so?"

"Because she thought you might stay neutral forever."

"Oh." I said quietly, not quite believing that Nicole had thought I would remain neutral forever.

"What made you finally change your mind?"

I sighed. "The way she kept avoiding my gaze. My red optics reminded her too much of Megatron, I guess. I hate it that she's scared of me."

"Idiot, she's not scared of you. She's scared of Megatron. Your optics just reminded her of that. Now come here so I can change the color."

I slid off the berth and stood in front of him. He went behind me and started fiddling with something on my helm. Suddenly my vision went black, but then there was a small click and I saw a flash of blue before my vision cleared.

"There. Now, get out and go show Nicole. Your scans are perfect."

"Thanks, Ratchet."

He didn't say anything, instead turning back around towards his office. I sighed and was just about to shut the door when Ratchet said, "Barricade, I'm glad you finally changed sides."

* * *

Nicole POV

"Stop staring at us."

"I can stare at you if I damn well want to."

"Bitch."

"Fraggers."

"She-devil."

"Pit spawn."

"Retard."

"…..Jerkfaces."

"Jerkfaces? What the frag is that?"

I threw my hands up, glaring at the twins. "It was the only insult I could think of!"

As part of our punishment, Prowl had thrown the twins and I in the brig. I was still glued to the chair, too. Thankfully, my hands had started sweating and had came off the chair. I was in one cell, one that was designed for transwarping 'Cons. And now a transwarping human, too. The twins were in the cell across from me, still red and yellow. There were glowing blue Energon bars separating us.

We had been in here for _three _hours. And we still hadn't resolved the prank war, like I guess Optimus and Prowl wanted us to. Now it was going on nine o'clock. Surely Barricade was out of the Med Bay now and trying to get me out….I huffed and crossed my arms. The least they could've done was give us something to eat.

Obviously Sunny, who had been glaring at me the whole time, saw this and smirked. "What's wrong, Nicki? Mad that Barricade hasn't come and bailed you out of jail yet?"

I told him just what I thought of that while cursing Jazz for starting that nickname.

At this point, I heard the thumping of footsteps. I winced. My head had been hurting since I hadn't meditated in awhile. As it turned out, it was Bluestreak who had volunteered to come down and give us something to eat. With him was Willow and Taylor who carried my food.

Bluestreak deactivated the Energon bars. While he gave two Energon cubes to the twins, Willow and Taylor walked up to me with a tray of food. They both glared at me. I threw my arms up. "What now?"

Taylor just gestured to her pants. She was wearing new ones. I shrugged. "Wow, you changed clothes."

Taylor gaped at me while Willow came up behind me and smacked me upside the head.

I winced. "I guess I needed that." When they didn't say anything, I stared at them. "Seriously, are you giving me the silent treatment?"

They turned their backs on me and walked through the Energon bars. After setting a tray of food down. Five feet away from where I was.

Gee, thanks so much.

After they were done with me, they both walked up to the twins cell to where Bluestreak was doing what he does best, talking.

"Sunstreaker. Sideswipe." Willow said coolly, interrupting Bluestreak. I grinned, knowing the twins were about to be told off.

Instead of saying anything, Willow flipped both them off with each hand. Taylor just stuck out her tongue, because she was too nice to flip someone off.

I saw both twins wince as the two girls stomped off the way they had come. "Ouch," I said loudly enough for the twins to hear. They both glared at me.

"Why did Willow just stick her middle finger at Sunny and Sides?" Bluestreak asked innocently.

The twins and I stared at him for a moment before Sunny and Sides burst out laughing.

I shot them a glare. Personally, I held a special spot for Bluestreak in my heart. The little gunner was sweet and as innocent as you could get. Unlike the bozos in the cell across me. Bluestreak was just…..so Bluestreak.

I turned and smiled at Bluestreak's confused faceplates. "Bluestreak, sweetie, don't mind them. They're idiots who couldn't tell left from right. But what Willow was doing was….." Oh boy. What was I supposed to say to a mech who never even uttered a single curse word.

"What Willow was doing was saying bye to the twins."

Bluestreak seemed to think that over, then smiled. "Oh. 'Kay, well, bye Nicole! Bye twins!" Then he flipped off the twins and me.

I groaned and face palmed while the twins wheezed from laughter across from me.

* * *

"Is it….an armadillo?"

"No. An armadillo doesn't eat flies, stupid."

I threw my hands up. "Than I give up, Sides. What was it?"

Sunny sighed. "It was a spider."

Sides shot him a glare. "No fair, you used the twin bond."

His twin smacked him on the back of the head. "Well, don't take so fragging long on some stupid game."

"We've only been playing for an hour!"

"Two hours."

"Two hours." I agreed. I sighed and turned and looked at the security camera. "Hey, Red Alert! Tell Prowl that we've learned our lesson. Please?"

Like every time I had said that the past three hours since Bluestreak, Willow, and Taylor had came, I got no response from the stupid camera. I pretty much growled out loud at that moment and turned back around to face the twins. "I'm going to die of boredom here."

We sat in silence a little longer before the twins started to communicate over their bond. I glared at them out of jealousy. Prowl had obviously convinced Barricade not to try and talk to me throughout the spark bond.

I got a little worried when Sideswipe smiled….looking at me.

I got even more worried when he nodded at Sunny and their optics went dim. Their holoforms appeared in my cell, right next me.

"Uh…twins? What are you doing?"

They got on either sides of me and lifted the chair. Realizing what they were doing, I started screaming obscenities and trying to smack their holoforms. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful. The twins were about to tip my chair over whenever we heard footsteps.

They dropped the chair, which sent me tumbling backwards with a yelp. The breath was knocked out of me. Gasping, I muttered, "Stupid twins."

I could hear them snickering from the other cell.

When Prowl and Jazz found us, they stared at me for a few seconds. I reached out towards them. "Help?"

Jazz just snickered as he and Prowl turned on their holoforms and put the chair up right. Once I was upright, I glared at them as they turned off their holoforms. "About time. What took you so long?"

Prowl frowned. "We….were distracted."

Sunny and Sides gaped at them from the other cell. "So, in other words, you forgot about us?"

Jazz grinned. "Yep."

Prowl shot his sparkmate a glare. "I'll let you ask Barricade what was so distracting."

Barricade? I asked my self. Out loud, "So you're letting us go?"

Prowl shook his helm. "No, just to letting you out for an hour. You did, after all, say please."

"I did?"

Jazz nodded. "First time I've ever heard ya say it, Nicki."

I scowled at him as he and Prowl deactivated the Energon bars. Whenever the twins stood up stretching, I crossed my arms. "Well?"

Both Prowl and Jazz had also forgotten that I was still stuck to the frigging chair.

* * *

After cutting myself out of the chair in the bathroom(I didn't really mind that I had ruined those pants; what really aggravated me was how _hard_ it was to cut them off), I changed into some jeans and a black t-shirt. Then I found Barricade in our quarters, seemingly in recharge.

So it scared the hell outta me when he said, "Finally."

Oh, Barricade. You know how to scare a girl to death with your one-word sentences.

"Hey, babe." I said, still trying not to look at his optics while throwing away my ruined pants in the trash can.

"Nicole, turn around."

I did reluctantly, still holding the shirt I had worn all day in the cell. "What-"

My jaw hit the floor around the time my shirt did. "What the hell happened to your optics?"

Barricade, who now had cobalt blue optics, sat up on the recharge berth and regarded me with a cool gaze. "I'm now an Autobot."

I continued to stare at him with an open mouth. My mind was blank. So I said what first came to mind. "What the _hell_, Barricade?"

My sparkmate glared at me. _"_What?"

I threw my arms up. "You could've told me! You know, like a little warning. 'Oh, hey, Nicole, just thought you might want to know, I'm going to become an Autobot while you rot in a cell with the twins for six hours'!"

"Well, you know what, Nicole? It was nice to find out just how much faith you have in me!"

I flinched involuntarily. "What are you talking about?"

Barricade stood up, his blue optics smoldering. "I talked to Ratchet. He said you thought I would remain neutral forever."

"I didn't say that! I said that I hoped you wouldn't stay neutral forever!"

"That's the same thing! You thought I would, but you hoped I wouldn't."

I scowled, looking at the ground. He was right. "I…didn't mean it that way, Barricade."

"It sure sounded like it!"

"Look, can't we just drop it? I haven't exactly had a great day."

"No, we can't just drop it! Sparkmates are supposed to trust each other, Nicole. I thought you of all people would've known that, being the Host of the AllSpark."

My anger flared up again. "Don't call me that! I hate that name! I don't go swimming through the AllSpark memories just for fun, you know. It gives me one hellova headache. And I do trust you!"

"You can't run from fate, Nicole. You can't just transwarp away and hope when you come back that everything will be normal again."

I glared at him, getting even angrier. "Well, what would you do if you were just told you were supposed to die because of some stupid legend, huh? Did you expect me to be cheery, or throw a parade? Hooray, I'm going to die! How can you _not _expect me to be scared, Barricade? Hell, I was terrified!"

Barricade was silent for a moment. "I thought you knew me better, Nicole."

"I do."

"If you know me so well, you would've understood why I changed my optics."

"I didn't want to pressure you into something you didn't want to do!" I snapped.

Barricade's servos clenched into fists. "If you knew me better, you would've known I would do anything for you! Regardless if I wanted to or not!"

"Well, I _thought_ I knew you. But I guess not." I said quietly. "You know what, Barricade? The whole damn time I was in that cell I though you would come down there and get me, but I guess you were too busy sulking to think about it!"

Barricade flinched, but hid it quickly. "A lesson needed to be learned, Nicole. I agreed with Prowl."

I gaped at him. "But I'm your sparkmate!"

"I know!" Barricade snarled, and for a moment, I saw the Decepticon in him. I was ashamed to say that I actually backed up a few feet. Barricade growled and started pacing. "I know I'm your sparkmate. Which why I thought you would've had more faith in me when it came to whether I was going to become an Autobot or not."

I was stung by that. My own words thrown back at me. Not a good feeling. Steeling my nerves, I looked Barricade in the optics. "Look. We both just need sometime to cool off. I've got to get back to Prowl or he'll think I've ran away again." I didn't mention that I still had 45 minutes left till he made us get back in the cells.

"Jazz told me you had an hour out. You've still got 45 minutes left."

"Well, I'll be early for once, then." I snapped. Thanks, Jazz. "Good night, Barricade."

"Good night." He said coolly, not looking at me.

Another pang of hurt. But Barricade wouldn't feel it. I had already blocked the bond by the time I transwarped.

* * *

"…..and so that's why I'm pissed off now!" I shouted, finally finishing my rant.

I was in Jazz's office, which, for once, I had found the saboteur doing some datapads. When I had asked him where Prowl was, he said that he had gone to make sure the twins didn't bale during the one hour freedom. He had asked me what was wrong, obviously being able to read my face. And so began my long, angry, hurt rant.

Jazz, who had his pedes propped up on the desk and his arms crossed, stared at me for a moment before shaking his helm and sighing. "Nicki, every couple gets inta fights."

"Jazz, I'm in the only relationship that involves a human and a Transformer. Unless you count Willow and Taylor, but that doesn't count since they aren't even with the twins yet!"

He shook his helm again. "That's not what I meant. Every couple, Transformer or human, get inta fights. Look at me and Prowler. We get inta little spats all the time, but always get back together."

I threw my hands up, feeling tears begin to spring up in my eyes. "But, Jazz! It was, like, a really bad fight."

Jazz sighed again before his pedes dropped off the desk and he leaned forward. "Nicole, listen ta me. _Look_ at me." He waited until I was looking into his visor. "Yer bondmates fer a reason. Do ya regret the fight?"

"Yes! Absolutely! With all of my heart!"

"Do ya wish it had never happened?"

"God, yes, I do, Jazz! Stop acting like Dr. Phil!"

Jazz smiled. "If ya regret it, wish it had never happened, and all that scrap, then it'll turn out okay. Primus, I'd be worried if ya didn't fight. No relationship is ever perfect."

I stared at him. "You have the weirdest logic. I seriously don't get how Prowl doesn't glitch every time he's around you."

"What I meant is, no relationship is ever perfect. Sure, ya and Barricade are the perfect match, like Prowl and me, Hound and Mirage, Ironhide and Chromia, Red Alert and Inferno, Optimus and Elita, and plenty of others. But the relationship is gonna have kinks. If yer in a relationship where there ain't no fights, then ya need ta get outta it as fast as ya can. Ya see what I mean?"

"Let me get this straight. If you're in a relationship where there's no fights, it's a bad relationship. And if you're in a relationship where there are fights, then it's a good relationship?"

"Exactly." Jazz said, sitting back with a grin.

I stared at him. "We need to call Ratchet and get your processor checked."

Jazz gave a loud sigh through his vents. "If you've got no one ta butt helms with, then the relationship is gonna get boring, leading ta a break up. Ya'll never take it further than just bein' boyfriend and girlfriend. But if ya do fight _all _of the time, then it is a bad relationship. Occaisionally is good. All the time, bad. Got it now?"

"Oh. I guess." I sighed. "But still. I can't go back right now."

Jazz just watched me sulk for a minute before holding his servo open. I shot him a curious look. He smiled.

"Ya look like ya need ta blow off some steam. Do ya know how ta shoot a gun?"

* * *

I fired one, two, three bullets at the target. Two of them hit the mark, one missed.

Jazz clapped. "Gettin' better, Nicki."

I just grunted, examining the BB gun. "So, the little ball things-"

"BB's." Jazz corrected me.

"-BB's in here are specifically engineered to strong enough to puncture a mech's armor?"

"Yep."

"Sweet. So…If I shot you-" I said, turning and pointing it at him.

In response to that, Jazz ducked and rolled to the side. When he looked back up and saw me laughing, he glared. "Primus, I swear yer're an idiot sometimes."

I just snorted, trying to stop laughing. "Jeez, Jazz. I was just kidding."

The Solstice just snorted and stood back up arms, crossed and looking anywhere but me. I stared at him. "Come on, Jazz. Don't tell me that scared you."

Jazz glared at me again. "No."

I just smirked. "Whatever you say. But, I was going to ask, if I ever needed to defend myself against a 'Con, would this be able to protect me?"

"Yeah, but I'd still recommend usin' a real gun. More efficient and lethal."

"Well, why didn't you give my a real gun in the first place?"

" 'Cause I didn't want ya shootin' my helm off."

"I wouldn't purposely shoot you! I'm not that stupid."

"I know, but, still. If anyone's gonna teach ya how ta handle a real gun it's gonna be Ironhide, Lennox, or Epps."

"Thanks so much, Jazz-"

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the base and I fell to the ground, still clutching the gun. I looked at Jazz who had also fallen. "Please tell me that was Wheeljack."

Then suddenly an alarm rang through the base.

Jazz grunted, his visor darkening. "Don't sound like it. Sounds like-"

"_Decepticons, attack_!"

"Exactly." I heard him mutter before, too quickly for me to see, he had stood up and grabbed me in the process. I squeaked because, well, do you know how unnerving it is to be sitting on the ground one second and suddenly in the servo of a running Autobot the next?

I tried to hold onto my lunch as Jazz shoved a carton of BB's into my hands. "Take these." He said while sprinting towards the door. "I'm gonna take ya ta the brig."

"Brig?" I shouted over the alarms.

"It's gonna be the last place they look. I hope, at least."

It all was a blur as we ran through the halls of the base. I saw Autobots and humans running to their posts and loading their weapons. There was shouting and explosions. I could literally feel the vibrations of battle through the air. The AllSpark pulsed wildly against my throat. I started rubbing it, trying to calm my fears about Barricade and everyone else I loved going to fight. And the fact that I didn't know where any of them were drove me _crazy_. I felt so….helpless.

At one point, the wall beside us exploded, most likely from a few missiles. Jazz was literally thrown through the air and with a sickening crash smashed into the wall. I was flung from his servos, the gun and carton still in my hand. I fell to floor, which wasn't exactly made of pillows and cushions. I hissed and rolled over so I could check on Jazz. His visor was dark and it looked like a few pieces of shrapnel and what not. I heard him groan.

"Jazz! Jazz, are you okay-" My air was sucked away as I was suddenly picked up from the ground. The carton fell to the ground, but I thankfully held onto the BB gun. When the world stopped spinning, I looked into the red optics of a Decepticon. Blitzwing, the AllSpark informed me.

He grinned wickedly, and I saw madness in his optics. "Hello, girl."

If he was going to say anything else, he never got to. A few rounds from Jazz's cannon blew half of the mech's faceplates off. While Blitzwing was distracted by the pain, Jazz quickly twisted the arm that I wasn't in around his back and slammed him into a wall before pulling out an Energon blade(which I didn't even know he had) and driving it through his chasis into the wall.

The whole plan was beautiful(well, the way it was executed was beautiful; all of that Energon really didn't help my nerves). Except the part where I fell out of Blitzwing's now limp servo, nearly scaring me to death.

Thankfully Jazz caught me before I went splat.

As we started running again, I thought I heard Jazz mutter, "Not today, damn 'Con."

By the time my mind caught up with Jazz, I was scared out of my wits. Watching Jazz like that….I felt something warm on my arm, and I looked. Then wished I hadn't. It was Jazz's Energon on me.

That when I guess you could say I just pretty much just shut all my emotions away and went on autopilot.

I set my hand on Jazz's armor and closed my eyes, trying to focus. The AllSpark seemed to do a quick scan and showed me what injuries Jazz had acquired. I sent out pulses of energy to those spots, not totally healing them but sealing the leaking Energon.

Jazz nearly stopped in surprise. Instead, he just shot me a confused look and continued running and dodging Autobots in the hall.

It all passed in a blur. One minute we were in the halls, the next Jazz was setting me down in one of the cells. "Ya gotta promise yer're gonna stay here, Nicki. Promise?"

I looked at my hands. They were shaking. "No, Jazz. I can't promise that. If I think that someone is going to be hurt, I'm not going just sit here and wait."

Jazz smiled, but it was a dark, sad smile. "Then I'm sorry, Nicki, but I gotta do this." With that, he took a step back and activated the Energon bars.

I glared at him in shock. "Jazz! Don't-" But it was too late. He was already running back, cannon charging up.

I screamed at him to come back until my throat was hurting. Something between a sob and growl of frustration escaped me. I was stuck here, in this cell, safe, while everyone I loved was fighting and in danger.

_The lock system. Disable it._

"How?" I pretty much screamed at the AllSpark.

Instead of answering me, the AllSpark made me move my feet until I was standing next to the wall that had the lock system installed into it. I watched my hand move to the wall. I wasn't doing this. A surge of energy pulsed down my arm and into the wall. Then it was like I was looking at the lock system. I studied it for a moment before disabling it.

The Energon bars disappeared. I silently thanked the AllSpark before grabbing the BB gun.

There were still explosions as I transwarped from one place to another. It seemed that the Decepticons hadn't managed to enter the base yet, save those few lucky ones who blew up the wall to get in, like Blitzwing. Most of the fighting and explosions were out side, but that didn't mean that the inside was chaos.

I didn't know what I was really looking for. Or who. I just randomly transwarped from place to place _inside_ the base. A part of me was afraid of going out side, while the other part of me was telling me that I was a coward and that my friends, family, and sparkmate were outside dying.

Eventually, that side won.

I staggered as my poor ears were assaulted by the scream of jet engines. Without looking up, I already knew that Starscream and his trine were dropping missiles. Taking a few seconds to glance around, I found that I was at the front of the base. Autobots were fighting in hand to hand combat, while humans in tanks tried to shoot out any 'Cons in the sky. Then I spotted Prowl. He had taken out his rifle and was shooting long range.

Just as I was about to shout his name, Prowl staggered, and I think he screamed, but I couldn't hear it. As Prowl fell to his knees, I saw what had made the tactician fall.

There was a hole in his door wings, still smoking from the shot and now leaking Energon.

A dark gray mech stepped up to Prowl, grinning like the Chesire Cat. I don't think he noticed; he was in too much pain. I sure noticed though, and I'll be damned if I was going to watch Prowl die.

I acted before my mind caught by with my body. I transwarped right in front of Prowl just as the 'Con raised his cannon and fired. I felt something like ice course through my arms, and I watched as everything seemed to slow down. My hands raised like I was trying to defend myself. A glowing blue spark fell from my hand before my hands literally turned blue. Then, as if I had blinked, there was suddenly a shield right in front of me.

In regular time, the shield must've appeared in a millisecond. But I had seen it all appear in what felt like years. The important thing was that the cannon fire from the mech was stopped. Partially. My shield barely held out. I felt the heat of the blast burn my hands, but I didn't feel any pain, just a tingling.

The shield dropped and suddenly I was staring into the optics of the Decepticon. He looked shocked. Then mad. And then he was pointing his cannon back in my face.

Primus and God smiled down on me at the same time, because someone had spotted the mech in front of us and shot him three times, once in the helm, twice in the side. The 'Con went into stasis lock so that his self repair system could do repairs.

I turned to thank the bot. Whoever it had been was already back in the fight.

Then my attention turned to Prowl. He had already went into stasis lock to make repairs. The most serious injury he had was the gaping hole in his wings. Forcing everything to the back of my mind, I started to try and do what I could with the AllSpark energy. I was worn out by the time I had stopped the leaking Energon.

I bit my lip. "I'm so sorry, Prowl." I whispered to his dim optics. I looked around and found who I was looking for.

"First Aid! Prowl needs help!" I shouted to the junior medic who was firing at Starscream and his trine in the sky.

Thank Primus he heard me and immediately started to tend to Prowl.

Satisfied that Prowl would be in good hands, I transwarped to the other side of the base. The fighting was even worse here. I saw Optimus fighting Megatron. My mind froze up for the first time since I had gone on autopilot.

Then a certain metal kitty decided it would be fun to try and shoot holes in me.

I ducked as Ravage fired the first few rounds. Two of the bullets hit me, both of them in my right leg. Again, no pain. At this point, I would have to save all of the AllSpark energy for healing, which meant no transwarping or electric shocks. I didn't think I even had enough energy to transwarp without passing out. Fortunately, Ravage was a terrible shot, with the gun being on his back and him bouncing around.

"_You idiot, don't shoot it!"_

I froze in surprise at Megatron's outraged roar. Ravage even paused in trying to shoot me and turned to look at Megatron with his one red optic. Stupidly(very, very stupidly), I followed his gaze instead of getting the hell out of there. Megatron had managed to push Optimus away, if only for a few seconds.

But those few seconds were enough for Megatron to level his fusion cannon at Ravage, who was only five feet away, and fire.

You, Megatron, are the idiot, for firing in the first place, I wanted to scream.

In those few seconds I calculated the chances of surviving this, with help from the AllSpark. They weren't good.

So, I made a decision in those few seconds, and threw the bond with Barricade wide open.

/I love you, Barricade. I'm so sorry./

* * *

Barricade POV

I grunted as a shot grazed my side.

When the Decepticons had first attacked, I was still in our quarters, thinking over my argument with Nicole. As I thought back on it, I realized there were some pretty hurtful thing that I had said, but Nicole had said some things that stung, too. In the end, I regretted the whole thing. Sure, I had been upset that Nicole had thought I would remain neutral forever, but if I hadn't opened my big mouth, there never would've been an argument. Nicole would've calmed down, maybe even been happy about my changing sides, but it wouldn't have led to a full scale argument.

And the fact that the Decepticons attacked right afterwards, when I didn't know where she was, made me regret it more. But the regret was being overwhelmed with terror and fear. A few minutes after the attack began, I felt pain through the bond, but Nicole had blocked it so I couldn't feel her emotions or her location.

Now I was outside of the base, trying to shoot down some of the 'Cons in the sky. A lot of Decepticons had called me insults, the main one being 'Traitor'. Megatron, who was fighting Prime a hundred yards away, had even tried to get in a few pot shots and managed to land one shot from his fusion cannon on my back.

Suddenly I saw a flash of silver. Jazz. I fought my way through the chaos towards the Solstice, who was also trying to shoot 'Cons out of the sky. "Jazz!" I shouted. "Have you seen Nicole?"

He glanced at me before continuing to fire at 'Cons. "I locked 'er in the brig afta they first attacked! Have ya seen Prowl?"

I had, in fact, seen the mech. "He's on the other side of the base!" I shouted.

Jazz just nodded, relief flashing across his faceplates briefly. I continued to stay close to Jazz as we both worked together to shoot any 'Cons. It seemed like Megatron had poured all of his mechs into this attack. He must've been _really_ desperate.

Suddenly Jazz went froze, a look of pain and surprise on his face, before he collapsed on his knees, arms wrapped around him and visor dim. Instantly worried, I knelt down. I hadn't seen him be shot. "Jazz? What's wrong? Where are you-" I broke off as heat and pain flashed across my servos. I stared at them in shock. What the frag? They were completely uninjured, yet the pain continued.

Then it hit me smack in the face. Nicole. It was her pain.

Almost frantically, my helm whipped around, trying to catch a glimpse of her, _anything_, just to know that she was _okay_.

All I saw was Autobots and humans fighting Decepticons.

Panic started to set in, but I forced it down and looked back to Jazz. The pain was written clearly all over his faceplates. Then they relaxed and Jazz's visor flickered on. He looked around wildly, a fearful look replacing the pain. He saw me and stood up. _"Where's Prowl?"_ He pretty much screamed at me.

I was just about to reply when Megatron shouted, "You idiot, don't shoot it!"

Both of us looked towards the source of the enraged shout. Megatron had managed to knock Optimus to the ground and had leveled his fusion cannon at…..I followed the direction his fusion cannon was pointed.

_Oh, Primus, no, no, no, NO! _I screamed in my mind

Nicole was standing five feet away from Ravage, limping with blood running down from two bullet holes in her leg and her hands burned and bleeding.

Time slowed down. Megatron fired. I started running, but I knew I wouldn't get there in time. Ravage leaped out of the way, but Nicole stood there, frozen.

And then I staggered as she opened her side of the bond.

Regret. Regret from the fight, from the things she said. Guilt. Guilt that she had even said those things. Hurt. Hurt from the things I had said. Sorrow. Sorrow from her parents deaths, from our fight, again. Worry. Worry for me, Jazz, Prowl, Bumblebee, Taylor, everybody she loved. Grief. Grief from….watching Prowl be shot in his door wings. Fear. Fear of Megatron, of the Decepticons, of me dying, along with everyone she loved. Anger. Anger towards herself, the AllSpark, Megatron, and…me. Frustration. Frustration at herself for not being able to help others, at the fact that she was handed a death contract on short notice. Happiness. Happiness at being with me and her family after all these years. But….most of all, love. Love for her parents, Spice, Taylor, the twins, Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, Optimus, Bluestreak, Willow, Bumblebee, and…me. Most of all, me. Even after the fight.

Primus. The others would never know how much she loved them unless they bonded with her. She kept all of this to herself. How in Pit did she _deal_ with it?

/I love you, Barricade. I'm so sorry./

/No, no, no, _Nicole!_/

I was too late. The blast reached her before I did. I almost stopped in my tracks, sure that she was….gone, and not wanting to see her lifeless body. I waited for the pain on the other side of the bond. I waited for the presence that was Nicole in my spark to fade away. I waited for myself to join her.

All I felt was her pain. But she didn't fade away. She was still alive.

* * *

Jazz sighed and rubbed a servo over his weary faceplates. Prowl was okay. He was okay. He was _alive_.

The battle had ended after Megatron had fired at Nicole. Plain and simple. He had shot Nicole with his fusion cannon, realized his mistake, and ordered a retreat.

Now, after the battle, all of the injured humans and bots were in the Med bay. Jazz himself had minor injuries, but Prowl and several other had severe injuries. The 'Cons had fought hard. They had even lost of couple of mechs and a few humans. Thank Primus none of the medics had sustained severe injuries or they would be, as the humans put it, in deep shit. Jazz hadn't seen all of the severely injured, but from what he had heard, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Hound, and Smokescreen had been hit pretty bad. The twins were missing, along with Taylor and Willow. It was suspected that they were buried under the rubble of part of the base that had collapsed after some bombs had been set off there.

Jazz sighed, looking at Prowl's peaceful faceplates from his seat in a chair beside the berth. First Aid had already had most of the damaged fixed by the time the battle was over. The saboteur hadn't been able to get the details clearly, but from what the junior medic had told him, Nicole had seen Prowl do down and had called him to repair Prowl out on the battle field. Apparently Nicole had tried to help speed the healing like she had with Jazz and gave him a good does of AllSpark energy.

Jazz's servos clenched at his lap. That stupid, stupid, _stupid_ girl! Why hadn't she stayed where she was, in the cell? Slowly his anger filtered away to be replaced by guilt. If she hadn't broken out, Prowl wouldn't be here, and neither would Jazz. The saboteur shook his helm. He had seen her damage. It was bad. _Very _bad. Large parts of her left side, the side that had been turned towards the blast, had been burned. Her clothes now had holes where the blast had burned through them. On top of that, there was also two bullets still lodged in her leg.

Behind his visor, Jazz felt tears well up in his optics. He retracted the visor, rubbing his optics with his thumb and forefinger. He truly, honestly cared about the girl. Seeing her in such a state hurt him deeper than he thought it would. If he didn't know better, he would've thought she was dead when he first saw her, with all of the blood on her clothes….Nicole was becoming more than his charge. She was becoming his adopted creation. Anger flared up in him again. He was her guardian, for Primus' sake! He was supposed to protect her, not let her kill herself!

Jazz could barely imagine how Barricade felt. The sight of the mech after the battle had shocked him. The Mustang's optics were nearly white from terror as he had ran to Nicole after Megatron had retreated. Barricade had picked Nicole off the ground gently, muttering something that only he could understand. He had just sat with Nicole cradled in his arms, rocking back and forth. When Ratchet had tried to take Nicole from him, he had attacked the medic. Apparently Ratchet had suspected something like this to happen. He had sedated Barricade before he could do any real damage and taken Nicole back to the Med bay. A few mechs had taken the now recharging Barricade back to the Med Bay, where he was now on a berth hooked up to several machines.

Jazz doubted that Barricade had recognized Ratchet. The fear of losing a bondmate was enough to set a bot in defensive autopilot mode.

Right now, the Med Bay was dark and quiet except for the symphony of beeps from the machines of the injured that were staying overnight in the Med Bay. First Aid and Wheeljack were going around the injured, making sure everything was right and in working order. Ratchet was in the operating room, still working on Nicole's injuries. Jazz could see the bondmates or lovers or just friends of the Med Bay, like he was right now, sitting in chairs next to their berths. Those bots included Mirage(sitting by Hound, of course), Chromia(by her bondmate), Bluestreak(sitting with Smokescreen, babbling quietly in his friend's audios), and…..Arcee. By Bumblebee.

That was something Jazz was definitely going to watch.

A few minutes later, just as Jazz was starting to 'nod off' as the humans put it, a loud beeping and a commotion startled him wide awake. His visor flared brightly as he saw Wheeljack rush over to Barricade's berth, where the Mustang was starting to wake.

This was not going to go good.

The saboteur jumped up just as Barricade sat up, now-cobalt optics flaring brightly. The mech seemed to be almost confused as he looked around the Med Bay. Then the memories of the battle seemed to hit him. Pushing Wheeljack out of the way, Barricade slid off the berth, staggering, until he just fell to his knees and servos, optics squeezed shut.

"Nicole…." Jazz heard Barricade whisper almost painfully as he got closer.

He knelt down to the mech. "Barricade, mech, look at me. Nicole's okay. Ya gotta get back on the berth."

Barricade just stared at the Solstice as if he didn't recognize him. Jazz pulled his arm gently, trying to get Barricade back on the berth. The Mustang didn't object. Once he was back on the berth, he squeezed his optics shut again and groaned. "Nicole…"

Wheeljack started to shut the alarms on the machine hooked up to Barricade off without a word and began checking his vitals. Jazz watched the mech on the berth, just in case he tried to get up again. Barricade seemed to be living some memory in his processor, as his servos clenched and unclenched. That was, until Wheeljack pumped some more sedatives in his systems.

The engineer stood back and rubbed his faceplates wearily. Then he looked at Jazz, his earfins flashing sorrowfully. "Jazz, we've done what we could for the physical injuries, but….."

"It's the emotional ones that we couldn't." First Aid finished, coming to stand beside Wheeljack.

Jazz just nodded. "I know. I jus' hope Ratch get done with Nicki quick, 'cause the next time Barricade wakes up he's gonna wanna see her."

"I _am _done, Jazz." Came a tired voice.

They turned to see Ratchet walking out of the operating room, rubbing his faceplates like Wheeljack had done. Sighing, the CMO flopped down into a chair. "There….was not much I could do, besides digging out the bullets and cleaning the burns. I cannot say whether or not there will be scars. If I am right, the AllSpark should heal the scars along with the burns and bullet holes." Ratchet glanced at the now-recharging Barricade. "He hasn't woken up yet?"

Jazz sighed. "Yeah, he did. And he ain't doin' good, Ratch."

Ratchet snorted, then shook his head. "None of us are doing good right now, Jazz." The medic sighed again, the sound tired and worn. "Not good at all."

* * *

Me: I know, sucky ending. But, hey, we're over halfway done with the story! I forgot to mention that last chapter.

Nice Me: Oh, it wasn't a bad ending!

Abusive Me: You, Nice, are an idiot.

Nice Me: Why thank you!

Random Me: Who took my cookies? *Starts to freak out*

Liar Me: It wasn't me.

Me: It was Liar.

Liar Me: It so was not.

Abusive Me: Random is having spasms.

Random Me: *twitches on ground* Cookies. *twitch* Cookies.

Me: One of you get your asses up and go to Wal-Mart to get more. We're off track again. Anyway….damn, what was I saying…..oh, yeah. Bad ending, halfway through and whatnot. The last chapter wasn't high in my favorites list, and apparently none of you liked it that much either(judging by the fact I only got four reviews), and I don't blame you. It was a sucky chapter.

Oh, and if you're wondering, when are the twins and Taylor and Willow going to get together, well, hang in there! It's coming! And in the most unexpected ways.

If you have any questions, ask me in a review or PM. Knowing me, I have forgotten to say something right now. And ill smack my head against a wall when I remember it.

Please, please review!

**Anika Chancer: **Congrats! You figured out what my inspiration for the red and yellow paint was from G1! I was wondering who was gonna figure it out first. Kudos to you!

**At the Heart of the Storm:** I….love you, too, I guess? *Laughs* Don't go mad! I already have, and it's not as bad as you think.

**NEXT CHAPTER: **Nicole has some frightening and revealing dreams. Taylor has a problem she's never had before. Willow takes action.


	17. Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

Chapter 17:

Nicole POV

I thought I was dead. I really did.

I couldn't feel anything, couldn't move, and couldn't see anything. Or, at least I didn't think I could see anything. That or there was nothing to see. Whatever it was, I was calm and peaceful. But where was Barricade? If I was dead then that meant he would join me.

A wave of guilt washed over me. It was my fault that Barricade would die, all because he was bonded to me. Then I felt anger. Stupid, stupid, stupid Megatron had shot me! What was he thinking?

_You are not dead yet, youngling. _Came the cool, detached voice of the AllSpark.

"That makes me feel so much better." I said out loud. I heard my voice, but I couldn't see my body. If I looked down I wouldn't see my body. Just more blackness.

Then there was a light beside me. Like a glowing white orb. Almost like a spark. "Barricade?" I asked hopefully. No, I told myself, disappointed. The AllSpark.

"Well, what do you want?" I asked, irritated. "Come to drop more hell on me?"

_Let me show you something._

Before I could say anything, it showed me Ratchet's Med Bay. It was dark in there. There was a chorus of beeps from machines that were hooked up to various Autobots in there. My heart throbbed at the sight of Jazz recharging with his helm on Prowl's arm. The SIC was in what I assumed was a drug-induced recharge, his self-repair system working to smooth the dents and scratches on his frame. There was a fresh weld on Prowl's wing where that 'Con had shot him.

Then I saw Barricade. He looked bad. Not injury wise, but….he kept twitching and his systems would hitch every so often. Was he dreaming of me? Of course, I though bitterly. I had very nearly killed myself, my sparkmate included. He had a right to be having nightmares.

I turned and glared at the AllSpark orb. I was not very happy with it right now. "Why did you show me this? To make me feel guilty? Congrats, you just accomplished that."

_These are your loved ones. They are alive for now._

I nearly said "No fragging duh, they're alive". But the words lodged in my throat when I registered what it said. 'For now'? "What do you mean 'for now'?" I asked angrily. If the AllSpark knew they were going to die, than I needed to know. AllSpark be damned, I would beat out of it if I had to.

_Watch._

Everything faded into blackness again. Then little white dots appeared in the blackness. What…..? Then I realized what I was looking at. I was looking at stars. We were in space. I spun around. There was earth, a small blue and green orb with clouds drifting across it's surface. What looked like just a few inches away from it but must've been thousands of miles was the even smaller moon. I searched and found Mars too. I continued to find the rest of the planets, all of them orbiting around the big, bright sun.

I looked at the AllSpark orb. "Why did you show me this?" I asked in a hopefully strong voice.

_Watch._ It repeated.

Slowly, I turned and looked back at Earth. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a ripple went through the Earth it looked like. I felt it in the….space around me.

Then Earth exploded.

Have you ever heard of the Big Bang theory? No, not the comedy show, but the theory that the universe was created in one big bang, hence the name. Well, this is what that looked like. A fiery wave spread out from where Earth had been, wiping out all of the planets and the sun. But it didn't stop there. It went all the way out of the solar system, destroying the other planets outside of our solar system. It even reached Cybertron.

I had stopped breathing. This was terrifying. I thought Megatron was scary, but watching everything be destroyed in a few seconds right in front of me was scaring the hell out of me.

Then, it faded to blackness again.

I sucked in a deep breath again. The AllSpark orb hovered next to me, silent. "What _was _that?"

_It was you. _

I shook my head. "I couldn't create that big of an explosion. I'm not that powerful-"

_The AllSpark has unimaginable power, youngling. You have not even tapped into a fraction of it. Despite your method of controlling it, the meditation, the energy will become to much to hold in. If the right actions are not taken, the power will consume everything._

I stared at the orb. "So you're saying I'll explode?

_In way, yes. Your body will become made of pure energy which will expand over the entire universe, destroying everything._

"So how do I keep that from happening?"

The AllSpark was quiet.

Cold started to overcome me. "You mean I have to…..die?"

_Yes. Girl, the AllSpark is old. It is time for a new one to be born. If this does not happen, what you just saw will occur. It will wipe out everything. Your loved ones-_

"Don't!" I shouted. I wanted to cry or hit something right now. "Don't even say that if I don't…do as you say, they'll die!"

_You have to face the truth. It is up to you whether or not you want to spare everyone you love. _

I turned away from the orb. "Okay, so I just gotta die. Well, if that's the case, then why do you keep healing me every time I'm injured? Or, better yet, why not just let me wake up and let me kill myself?"

_It is not time. There is more things to happen in between now and the time you die. _

"So you're basically saying that there is a series of events that have to happen before I die?"

_Yes._

"Damn you!" I shouted. "I'm tired of this whole fragging mess. Just get it over with already!"

_There are things that-_

"Have to happen, I know! You said that already!" I snarled at the orb angrily. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. After a moment, when the desire to rip something in half was gone, I asked quietly, "Will Barricade be spared?"

_If you cut the bond, yes._

"Cut it?" I repeated, horrified. "That's…..I can't do that."

_You will._

"How do you know?" I growled.

_Have I not just shown you a possible outcome of the future? _

I didn't say anything to that. For a long while I just sat there staring off into space. It looked like either way I was going to die, it was just up to me whether or not I took the whole damn universe with me. I sighed. I wanted Barricade. I wanted Jazz. I wanted my family. I wanted to cry. But life isn't fair, I thought bitterly. The AllSpark had just proved that.

"How?" I finally asked.

_How-_

"How will I die? If you can see the future, show me."

The AllSpark didn't say anything. I gave it my best glare. "What's wrong? Last time I checked, you don't have emotions. Otherwise you might feel just a slight bit guilty about sentencing someone to death."

_You are not wrong. I have to be indifferent, otherwise any emotions might affect my decisions and the outcomes might not be right._

"You sound like an emotionless Prowl." I sighed. "I'm glad he isn't like you." After a moment, I asked again, "So. Are you going to show me? I want to be ready for it."

_No one is ever ready for death, youngling._

"No, but I can be prepared."

The AllSpark was quiet for a long time. Then, _Very well._

* * *

Willow winced as Ratchet applied some more cream to the burn on her arm.

When the alarms had gone off, Willow and Taylor had been in the Rec room watching TV with Sunny and Sides. Prowl, who had been watching the twins, had dashed out of the room saying to protect the human girls. After that, everything had been a blur. What Willow did remember a particular explosion that was very close. The roof over the had started to collapse and the twins had covered Willow and Taylor with their own bodies. Sunny had covered Taylor and Sideswipe had covered Willow. The rubble from the roof had knocked both mechs unconscious and covered them completely. Willow and Taylor had managed to stay conscious until, three hours later, the others had uncovered them.

Now, almost twelve hours after the attack, all four of them were in the Med Bay. It had taken so long because Ratchet, First Aid, and Wheeljack had been working to stabilize the more fatally wounded bots. The twins were recharging on medical berths. Each twin had gotten shrapnel under their armor and they both suffered Energon loss. Willow winced again. Some of Sideswipe's Energon had gotten on her arm and burned the skin badly. Ratchet wanted to keep her overnight to watch for signs for Energon poisoning(Willow had thrown up when she figured out that Sideswipe had been 'bleeding' on her; the thought was disgusting and horrifying). Taylor had a few bad gashes on her own arms and on her fore head. Ratchet had had to stitch up each one.

Ratchet sighed as his holoform finished wrapping the burns in gauze. "There. Done. Don't mess with it, or lift anything with that arm. Rest and go eat."

Willow watched as the medic turned off his holoform and began to put some tools away. "Thank, Ratch. Um…..how's Barricade holding up?"

Ratchet paused in his work. "He's….with Nicole right now. She still hasn't woken up."

"Oh." She said quietly.

He helped her to floor from the empty medical berth she had been sitting on. Just as Willow was walking out the door, a scream suddenly came from the room Nicole was in.

Faster than she though possible for giant robots, Willow saw Ratchet dash back and throw the door open. She followed, running. The mech she knew as Jazz got up, too and started to make his way to the room. Willow stopped in shock at what she saw.

* * *

Barricade POV

I sighed as I watched Nicole's peaceful face.

Ratchet had had to patch gauze over the areas where Nicole had been burned. Parts of the left side of her face were burned. The burns had healed amazingly fast, but that was no surprise. The scars that were still left were starting to fade. I had woken a few hours before. Taylor had changed Nicole out of the hospital gown she had been in and into an over large t-shirt and gray sweat pants so she'd be more comfortable when she woke up.

_If_ she woke up.

No, I scolded myself angrily. She _will_ wake up. She has to.

I turned my holoform on and wiped some of Nicole's hair out of her face. She seemed to be having a nightmare now. I leaned forward anxiously as Nicole whimpered. Maybe I should call Ratchet-

I jumped as Nicole's eyes flew open. They were a glowing blue instead of hazel. Then she screamed and started writhing on the bed.

I knelt down and tried to hold her down gently with my servos, but she sent a shock of energy through me that sent me backwards. As she continued to scream, I felt something roll down my faceplates. Energon tears. I was crying. I was crying because I was helpless to help her, to comfort her, anything to ease her pain.

I heard the door open and Ratchet came rushing in, immediately trying to hold her down only to be shocked. Willow also came in, looking pale. Then Jazz followed. This all was registered in the back of my processor. All I could feel was numb and shock.

Then something collided with me from the side, and I suddenly I was aware of everything around me again. Jazz was standing over me looking livid. "_Help her!_" He snarled in my face plates.

"How?" I growled back, not angry but frustrated.

"Hold her, talk to her, try the bond, _anything_!"

So I did. I pushed him out of the way and knelt back down to Nicole. She had ceased screaming, but she was still writhing as if she was in pain. Ratchet realized what I was doing and unhooked the machines from her. Gently, I lifted her off the bed. She didn't shock me again. I held her to my chest plates, as close as I could get her to my spark. I started talking, about what, I don't know. I just talked. I opened the bond wide and sent her comfort and love.

Nicole relaxed. Her eyes were still open and glowing and staring off into space. Then she blinked once, twice, then three times and they returned to the golden hazel I loved. Nicole seemed confused and dazed. "Barricade?"

"I'm here, Nicole."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh, 'Cade…." Then she started sobbing. I cried with her. Nicole grabbed my armor like she was never going to let go. "I'm so sorry…."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, love." I whispered.

At some point the others left the room. I didn't notice until Nicole had gone back to sleep and I set her back on the bed. Then I laid down beside the berth and fell into recharge myself. Or tried to. I would end up checking on her every few minutes. But I did go into recharge after finally dozing off.

* * *

Jazz sighed and rubbed his faceplates for what felt like the hundredth time. "Ratch-"

"No, Jazz. Get out and go get some proper recharge before I take you to your quarters myself. Prowl is fine. He should be waking up in a few hours, and he'd be _very_ unhappy with both me and you if he found that you were recharging on your pedes."

Jazz sighed again. It was late in the night again. Most mechs were in recharge now. It had been five hours since Nicole had woken up, and besides what she had said to Barricade after her panic attack, she hadn't said a single thing. Last time Jazz had checked on the human girl, she had bee sitting up awake in her bed, staring off into space. Barricade, who'd gotten barely a few hours of recharge since having woken up after the battle, was recharging on a berth beside her bed. Nicole hadn't even acknowledged that Jazz had stepped in the room.

This….worried the saboteur.

Ratchet watched Jazz's tired faceplates for another moment before saying gently, "Look, Jazz. If anything changes for either Prowl or Nicole, I'll comm you immediately, alright?"

The silver mech glanced once more at his sparkmate before reluctantly nodding. " 'Kay." He mumbled.

After saying goodbye to Ratchet and Prowl in his recharging state, he exited the Med Bay and headed towards the Rec room where he picked up an Energon cube. There weren't any bots or humans in the Rec room, surprise, surprise. Jazz hadn't expected there to be any. After a battle everyone was usually a little wired and it was hard to sit and relax, let alone recharge.

The Solstice sipped his cube rather slowly, just letting his thoughts wonder. When it was empty he tossed it into a trash can and began walking to his quarters that he shared with Prowl. As he was about to round a corner, he heard a sniffling sound and froze. That sounded like a human crying.

Jazz backed up and instead poked his helm around the corner. What he saw only half surprised him.

Nicole was leaning her head against the wall, wiping her face. Jazz pulled back around the corner and shook his helm. What was she even doing out of bed? If Ratchet found out he'd throw a fit.

Jazz's keen audios picked up the sound of Nicole's footsteps leading away. He waited until she was around the next corner before stepping back out to follow her quietly. He wasn't Head of Special Operations for nothing. Just where was the human femme going? This was leading away from the Med Bay. In fact, it was leading towards the front of the base.

After following Nicole for a few more minutes, Jazz followed her out side of the base onto the runway. The only evidence of the battle outside was the scorch marks on the ground and disturbed earth where an explosion went off or an unlucky Transformer had fallen. The saboteur figured he should've stopped her, but his curiosity got the better of him. He watched from the doors as Nicole walked just far away from the base that it was out of reach of the lights. Then she laid down on her back, her face towards the sky. After another few minutes, Jazz decided to find out just why Nicole had taken a midnight walk.

As he came up beside the girl, he looked down at her. Her red rimmed eyes glanced at him before looking back at the sky. He followed her gaze. It was a new moon, so it was easier to see the millions of little bright dots in the sky that were stars. For one peaceful moment, Jazz allowed himself to relax and get carried away in the beauty of the stars. It reminded him of Cybertron….

A sigh from the human on the ground brought his gaze back down. Nicole looked….sad. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Jazz nodded. "Yeah. It is." After another silent moment, he laid down beside Nicole. "What're ya doin' out here, baby girl?"

"Thinking." Came the quiet reply. Another sigh. "Jazz….You wouldn't believe what I've seen in the past day."

"I'm all open ta listen."

Nicole turned her head and looked over at him. "I'm not sure if I should tell you. I don't really think I should tell anyone. You wouldn't understand. It's….complicated."

"Try me."

Nicole smiled a little, but it was sad. "You would probably wish you hadn't said that. But I don't really think I can keep this to myself." She sighed. "Well, where to start?"

Jazz turned his helm and studied Nicole's face. She looked like she was going to cry again. The human femme took a shuddering breath. "Well, for starters, I'm going to die."

Now the saboteur was confused. Hadn't she already known that?

A tear rolled down the side of Nicole's face. "I know what you're thinking. Yes, I knew I was going to die, but….. While I was asleep, I talked to the AllSpark. It told me just exactly how I was supposed to either save or destroy the universe, no, it _showed _me. It….was horrible. The AllSpark said the only way for me to prevent it was to die. _Die._ It showed me how that was going to happen, too." She shook her head, her eyes closed. "Jazz, I'm going to need your help. I know I'm going to die, there's nothing I can do to stop that, but…I'll be leaving Barricade. He's the one who'll need help. You've got to promise me one thing."

Nicole sat up and Jazz did the same. There weren't a lot of things that scared Jazz, but this was one of those things. She was scaring him. She had accepted the fact that she was going to die, acting as if she had given up, and wasn't even thinking of herself right now.

Nicole looked Jazz in his visor. "Whatever happens after I die, try to help Barricade. Don't let him do anything drastic, or go into depression, or just….give up. I couldn't stand that." She looked back up at the stars. "I love him. I would do anything for him. It would kill me if he died when I died to save him and the whole universe anyways."

She shook her head again. "We'll all be hurting after this is over. Bad. Promise me, Jazz, you will not tell anyone about this, not even Prowl and especially not Barricade."

Jazz stared at her. "I…."

Nicole smiled sadly at him. "Jazz, please. This is gonna hurt like Pit after it's all over, but a new AllSpark will be born. I don't know what it will be, or how it's going to happen, but it will. You'll be able to save Cybertron, save the Transformers."

The saboteur was at a loss for words. "Nicole…..are ya sure 'bout all of this? I mean, how can ya be sure that yer gonna die?"

"Jazz, the AllSpark told me. It showed me. I wouldn't dream that up. I've come to terms with that, and I'm at peace with it. I realize it's what I gotta do. There's no running from it. It has to be me."

"But, Nicki, there are bots and people who care about ya, that love ya. You can't just give up-"

"I'm not giving up, Jazz." Nicole said softly. "I'm accepting it. It's my destiny, my role in life, my purpose. And besides, it's either the whole universe, or just me." She sighed with a small smile. "You know what, Jazz? You and Prowl were a Primus-made pair. You have a love that not many of us can get. One way or another, you would've found each other, whether it be in this life, the Matrix, or another dimension, you would've been together."

She looked up at Jazz. "Don't ever let anything get in between you and Prowl, ever." Then Nicole sighed again and looked back at the sky. "What was it like, Jazz? You know…."

"What was what like?" Jazz asked quietly.

"….Dying."

"Oh." The saboteur shifted as unpleasant memories resurfaced. He had had nightmares since he had been resurrected. Only Prowl knew. The nightmares were always the same, though. Those last moments of life before Megatron ripped him in half, his red optics, that laugh, and the regret and guilt of leaving behind Prowl.

"Was it peaceful? Afterwards?" She asked. "Don't tell me if you don't want to. I just want to know."

Jazz was silent a few more moments before answering. "At firs' all I felt was pain. But that didn't last long before…..well, I felt nothin'. Then I saw a blue glow an' heard Primus talkin' ta me. Then it was like I just went ta sleep, an' then I woke up a few moments later in tha' room tha' I first met ya in. When I saw ya layin' on the floor, it was like I suddenly knew wha' ta do."

Nicole just nodded. "Thank you." Then she laid back down and closed her eyes.

Jazz watched her for a few moments before asking, "Are ya scared, Nicki?"

She didn't answer for a long time. When she finally did, she sounded tired. "No, Jazz. I'm not scared of dying. I'm just scared of what's going to happen to Barricade." She sighed. "When I screamed earlier, it was because the AllSpark had showed me how I was going to die. Then it scared me. But now…I've thought about it some. I know there's a reason for everything, and if that's what's supposed to happen, then there's nothing that I can do. In fact, my dying is the easy part. Barricade is going to have the hardest part, being left behind. I'm going to hurt him so bad by dying, Jazz." Nicole's voice cracked on that last part.

"I love him so much, and I know how much he loves me. In the end, it's his love for me that's going to hurt him. I wish he had never met me. That may sound stupid, but as they say, 'Ignorance is bliss'. If he had never met me, he would never have to deal with the pain that's going to come. If he had never met me, Megatron would never have tried to kill him. If-"

"If Barricade had never met ya, Nicki, he never would've been happy." Jazz said sharply. "Ya never would've been truly happy. There would've always been a part of ya missin', 'cause the other half was gone. Ya woulda died with that empty part, not happy, knowin' that somethin' was missin'. Ya both make each other happy. Ignorance ain't bliss, not in this case. So don't go makin' tha' stupid wish, 'cause only a dumbaft idiot would wish that."

Nicole sat up, eyes wide. "Jazz, this is only going to end horribly! I'm going to die! That is going to _kill_ Barricade! How is this love good? It's going to end in one big mass of pain and grief!"

"Baby girl," Jazz said softer, "Ya can't focus on the future at a time like this. Ya gotta think of all the good things that came outta it. All those times ya were with Barricade, and ya were _happy_. Focus on those."

Nicole just put her head in her hands. "I love him. With every atom of my being." She looked up, and Jazz could see a tear running down her face. "Is it selfish of me to want a little bit longer with him?"

Jazz shook his helm. "No, baby girl, it's not." He reached down and gently picked her off the ground and held her to his chasis as sobs began to wrack her body. "Not selfish at all."

* * *

Willow huffed as she glared at the now-silver-again mech across the room.

Said mech in question was Sideswipe. It was two days after the attack. Ratchet had released the twins along with Smokescreen, Bumblebee, Hound, and Ironhide the day before. Prowl was still there, but Ratchet had finally allowed him to wake up from his drug induced recharge. All of the mechs were on light duty. Nicole was still in the Med Bay but only because Ratchet was mad her for sneaking out the night before. The scars were fading on her skin, but Nicole still seemed more subdued. Willow had watched Barricade hover around worriedly, and wondered how Ratchet hadn't gone into stasis lock with all of the questions the Mustang asked him about Nicole.

But back to why she was glaring at Sideswipe.

The twins had completely avoided Taylor and Willow since they had gotten out of the Med Bay. It was driving both girls crazy. Taylor wasn't willingly going to go up to them and ask what the hell was wrong with them. She was too nice for that. Willow wasn't going to ask directly, but she glared at them, specifically Sideswipe, every chance she got.

And now here she was, sitting on one of the Transformer-sized tables, legs crossed and arms resting on her knees, watching the twins play the giant X-Box.

After another moment of fuming, an idea began to form in Willow's head. An evil and genius idea.

Standing up with her hands on her hips, she said in a sing-song voice, "Ohhh, Sideswipe!"

Said silver Corvette froze. The gold and silver paint had mysteriously reappeared at the twins' quarters. Sides paused the game, much to Sunny's displeasure, and turned around to look at Willow. "Uh…Hey, Willow. What's up?"

Willow shifted impatiently. "Get your aft over here. I need to tell you something."

Sides stared at her bewildered for a moment, before getting up from the couch. Willow started messing with her dyed dark purple hair as Sideswipe took what seemed like forever to cross the space between them.

When the Corvette was finally seated in a chair in front of her, Willow grinned at him. "So, Sideswipe. Why've you been avoiding me?"

As she expected, he started to get flustered. "I-I haven't been a-avoiding you, Willow. I-I just, well-you know, I've been busy…."

Willow nodded. "Uh huh. Well, I thought Ratchet put you on light duty."

Sides froze again. "I've been doing datapads."

Willow pointed at the X-Box. "Yep, that really looks like a data pad, doesn't it?" She also didn't bother pointing out that frontlliners, as Prowl had told her before, _never_ did datapads.

The human girl could see Sunstreaker snickering at his twins' predicament.

Willow pinned Sides with one of those stares she gave people at the tattoo shop when they complained that they didn't like the new tattoo. It usually unnerved them enough to shut even the most irritating complaining customer up. Apparently it works for alien robots, too, Willow thought as she watched Sideswipe get more and more embarrassed.

Grinning on the inside, Willow said, "Sideswipe, I've got to tell you something. Lean closer." She beckoned him closer.

After a moment of hesitation, he did as she said. Willow shook her head. "Closer." Sides leaned closer. He was about three feet away from her now.

"Closer." Two feet.

"Closer." One foot.

"Closer." Willow said in a sing-song voice. Now Sideswipe's faceplates were only a few inches from Willow. She could feel the heat coming off him.

She grinned. "Perfect." Then she leaned forward and kissed Sideswipe.

After a few moments, Willow pulled back, satisfied. "Thanks, Sideswipe!" She said cheerfully before skipping over to the only other occupant of the table. "Mirage, can you set me down, please?"

Once the spy did, Willow skipped out of the Rec Room humming a tune to herself.

There was a dead silence in the Rec Room. Then several bots started wolf whistling and laughing and a few calls to 'get a room'.

Sunstreaker walked over to his frozen twin, who hadn't moved an inch since Willow had kissed him. Sunny waved a servo in front of Sides faceplates. "Still there, Sides?"

Sideswipe nodded, looking shocked. Sunny grinned and clapped a servo on his twins' shoulder, very nearly knocking him out of the chair. "Well, congratulations. You finally found a femme that actually wants to kiss you."

Sideswipe didn't hear any of this. Instead, he brought a servo up to where her lips had touched his faceplates. "That….was nice."

* * *

Outside the Rec Room, slumped against the wall….

Willow brought a hand up to touch her lips.

Sideswipe's faceplates had been so warm. And soft. Not what she had expected.

And there was a tingling sensation spreading through her.

Willow thumped her head on the wall behind her, eyes closed. "God, help me. I think I'm in love with an alien robot."

* * *

Nicole POV

I was walking through the halls of the base aimlessly, just wanting to be along for a moment.

It was the afternoon after Jazz and I had talked. Barricade had been asleep when I left and Ratchet had been getting Energon, so I had basically snuck out again. The talk with Jazz was refreshing after not talking to anyone for two days. But I was still burdened by the knowledge of my death. The most common thoughts were about what was going to happen to Barricade and everyone I would leave behind. I felt like I was being selfish for not wanting to die, even though Jazz had told me it wasn't. I wanted to stay here, with people and bots that I loved. But if I didn't, they would all die. The second most often thought was what I did to deserve this. Did I piss off some higher force or something? In the end, I always came to the same conclusion. Fate and karma hated me. A lot.

I sighed, my hand on the wall as I walked. Life sucked. Like, really, _really_ sucked.

"Nicole!"

I jumped at Taylor's high pitched voice. I turned around just as Taylor grabbed my arm and started dragging me down the hall. "Uh, Taylor? What's wrong?"

"Everything." Came the grumpy reply.

"O-kay?" I said, one of my eyebrows arched.

Taylor didn't say anything else as she dragged me along. In the end, she shoved me into her room and locked it behind her. When she turned around and glared at me with flashing blue eyes I actually wondered if she had somehow gotten hold of liquor.

Taylor growled, sounding frustrating, and marched across the room and flopped down on the bed. She moaned something into her pillow.

I sighed as I picked up a pair of high heels off the desk chair and sat in it, arms crossed. "Taylor, your practically trying to smother yourself. What'd you say?"

With another moan, Taylor lifted her head and looked at me miserably. "I'm having the worst day."

Again, I raised one eyebrow. "How so?"

Taylor struggled to get her arms from out under where she had laid on them. After a lot of struggling, she held up her hands to count the points off. "I didn't get but two hours of sleep last night. See? I have bags under my eyes now!" I rolled my eyes as she pointed at her perfectly fine looking eyes. "Second, I couldn't figure out what to eat this morning, so now I'm hungry!"

I sighed. "Why didn't you get one of the Autobots to take you? I'm sure Sunstreaker would be more than glad."

Taylor glared at me. "I'm getting to that. But, no, all of them were busy." Her head fell back onto her pillow. Another muffled sentence.

"What?" I asked.

Taylor didn't answer me, instead she just pointed at something behind me. I turned around and looked. There was a half full box of tampons on it. I winced. "Oh." Well, that explained the weird moods.

Taylor, who still wasn't looking at me, waved it off before her hand fell limp, hanging off the edge of the bed. Another muffled sentence, this one long, whiney and high-pitched, followed by a groan.

I stared at her. "Again, what?"

Taylor lifted her head and looked at me miserably. "I have the world's biggest crush on Sunny and I don't know what to do about it! On top of that, it seems like he's avoiding me! I've never had this problem with other boys! Usually it's them with the crush and not me! What do I do?"

I stared at her with something akin to amazement. Taylor threw a throw pillow at me. "Stop looking at me like that."

I smiled. "Well, Taylor, I can't help you here. After all, remember that Barricade was my first date? So I'm not really big in the dating department." Then I snorted. "What brought this on anyway?"

Taylor took to glaring at her pillow. "Willow kissed Sideswipe."

I choked on the air that I had been breathing. "_She did what_?"

"She kissed Sideswipe."

Once I got my breathing under control, I asked, "When?"

"Around noon today in the Rec room. I guess she got tired of waiting around."

I sat back in the chair. "Huh. Smart girl."

Taylor glared at me. "This isn't helping me."

I sighed. "Tay, maybe you should ask someone else."

"Like who? Ratchet? Come on, Nicki, there is no one else I can ask." She groaned. "I might as well give up on this whole thing. It's pointless."

I stared at her for about two seconds before making my mind up and jumping up. "Come on, Taylor. We're going to go ask some bots I think that can help." I grabbed her arm while she started protesting and dragged her out the door.

As we walked through the halls(I walked; Taylor was dragged), I said hi to various bots and humans. Most of them looked surprised to see me, since Ratchet had pretty much had me in lockdown in his Med Bay. Bluestreak was happy to see me out and about. When we said goodbye to him, he flipped us both off, earning several stunned looks from the others around us. I seriously needed to tell him not to do that anymore. Eventually, we reached my intended destination.

Smokescreen's office.

To say that Smokescreen looked surprised was an understatement. "Umm, hello, Nicole?"

I waved at him, grinning. "Hey Smokescreen. Listen, Taylor needs to talk to you about some issues she has."

"I do not have issues." Taylor muttered.

"She needs help on how to approach Sunny. Taylor has the world's biggest crush on him." Taylor stepped on my foot.

Smokescreen stared at us both before saying, "Nicole, I'm a psychological counselor. Not a relationship counselor."

This was one of my 'I'm-such-an-idiot' moments.

I smiled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry. I forgot about that. Okay, well….bye!"

Then I pulled a snickering Taylor out of Smokescreen's office.

Once we were back out in the hall, Taylor said with a smug look, "Well, that went well."

I smacked her on the head once before I started pacing. "That was my first and last idea…." I muttered. I heard Taylor snort. "That's you, always thinking ahead." I shot her a glare. Then, after many minutes of deliberating, I finally came up with…nothing.

I sighed. "Well, I've got nothing."

"Nothing?" Taylor said in a high-pitched whiny voice.

"Nothing. Unless you want to take Willow's idea and do as she did."

Taylor stared at me like I had just found the cure for cancer. "I can?"

"I don't see why not. I mean, unless she had copyrights to the idea or something…."

Taylor wasn't even paying attention to me. The country blonde had already taken off down the hall towards the Rec room.

I watched her back disappear before transwarping to the Rec room. Sunny was playing some racing game against the Chevy twins and Beachcomber on the X-Box. There wasn't many more mechs in the Rec room besides them, so my arrival went unnoticed. Taking advantage of this, I plopped down on a table that had a good view and started waiting for Taylor.

Sure enough, four minutes later, Taylor appeared, looking like she had made her mind up on something and was determined to finish. That all disappeared when she saw Sunny. She started to back pedal out the door, but I transwarped and caught her by the arm, then transwarped back to the table. "Hey, Sunny, come here for a sec." I shouted over the Chevy twins argument about who won.

Thankfully, the frontliner heard me and started to get up. Until he saw Taylor. For a moment Sunny froze, then tried to gather up his resolve and walked over to the table slowly. "What?" he snapped, but there was a waver in his voice.

I beckoned him closer. "Jazz told me to tell you something, but it's really important and top secret, so you'll have to lean closer for me to tell you."

Some bots are too gullible for their own good.

When he leaned forward, I pushed Taylor towards him. She squeaked a bit at first, but figured out what I was doing and leaned forward and kissed Sunny.

I didn't stick around to see the rest.

There are times when I'll hang around to make sure I don't miss anything that I can tease somebody about later, but this wasn't one of them.

Besides, if I knew Taylor(which I did), then I knew she would probably get the heck out of there as quick as she could, go grab a box of chocolate or ice cream, and hole up for a while. I didn't want to be the one explaining to Sunny what the hell had just happened.

* * *

Well, been a long time since I updated, huh?

Here it is, the final get together. Hope you liked it. I wasn't too happy with the angst parts or the ending, but…well, your worst critic is yourself. (No matter how many times I tell myself that, it doesn't work; whoever said it must've had self-confidence issues…)

Also…..**I PULBLISHED THE ONE-SHOT! **Finally.

Man, I'm almost afraid to read the reviews for this. *hides behind desk* don't shoot!

**Artemis:** Don't worry, Darla does show back up.

**NEXT CHAPTER: **Jazz plots and goes shopping…..neither is a good sign when it comes to our favorite saboteur!


	18. What's So Wrong With My Outfit?

::Comm talk::

/Bond talk/

* * *

Chapter 18:

Nicole POV

I transwarped to the cafeteria startling a few poor soldiers who sat at tables. As I landed, I stumbled a bit. I was low on energy from transwarping(something that Ratchet had told me not to do; when will they learn that I don't ever listen?). My trip to the cafeteria was to solve that problem. Ratchet had put me on a strict diet, so I hadn't had my daily dose of junk food. Hell, I hadn't had junk food for a week now.

After raiding the kitchen(people had learned not to come between me and my food), I sat at table with a big bag of wavy Lays. A few minutes of munching later, I felt my cheeks warm up. Concerned, I put a hand to my forehead. I was burning up. A fever? Why hadn't I felt this earlier? Great, Ratchet was going to _slaughter_ me now.

Sighing, I stood up and walked over to the vending machine in the cafeteria. I looked around to make sure no one was looking before I put my hand to the machine. I closed my eyes. Just like I was in the machine(wouldn't that be uncomfortable), I could see all the inner workings. I messed with the codes a bit before I opened my eyes and stepped back.

The vending machine made a low thrumming noise before a Coke dropped out.

And then another.

And another.

And another.

"Aw, crap," I muttered before grabbing one Coke and walking away quickly. A few soldiers gave me a strange look. I held my hands up. "I swear I didn't kick it."

They all shrugged before standing up and going and getting their own Cokes. Okay, well, that took care of the Coke bottles that were falling out of the machine like quarters out of a slot machine.

I sat back down at my table by myself and resumed my snack. Ten minutes later, I had eaten half the bag and was taking a drink of the Coke when all of a sudden the Coke was yanked out of my hands(spilling whatever was in my mouth on my shirt) and the chips pulled away.

Oh, and they were hanging in mid air.

I just stared. Then Mirage's holoform appeared, along with his mech form which was standing by the door to the cafeteria, holding my chips and drink. I gaped at him. "What the hell, dude? I was eating that!"

The spy's holoform frowned at me. "Ratchet has been looking for you."

"Good to know. Now can I have the food back?"

Mirage just sighed, before taking my food and dropping it in a trash can nearby. I glared at him as his holoform disappeared and his optics lit up. "He had the whole Ops team searching the base for you. The cafeteria was his first choice."

I snorted and put my folded arms on the table. "He must know that I'm hating that crap he's making me starve on."

Mirage just sighed again before leaning down and holding his servo open. "Ratchet will have my aft if I don't take you back immediately."

"Fine." I muttered grouchily before getting up and walking into his open servo.

I sat down as Mirage stood back up. As we left the cafeteria, his optics dimmed, which probably meant he was sending a comm to someone. I sighed again, wishing I could hear what he was saying.

And just like that, I could hear every word Mirage was saying in the comm.

:: -she was eating chips and drinking a Coke in the cafeteria.::

I heard a sigh on the other end. :: Thanks, 'Raj. The Hatchet's livid down 'ere.:: So it was Jazz. As if to prove his point about Ratchet being mad, I heard some shouting that sounded like cursing(shocker) and the sounds of things being thrown. ::Jazz out.::

I pulled out of the comm frequency as it ended. Apparently the AllSpark allowed me to eavesdrop on comm's. Or was it just that it was some mental ability, like Soundwave's? Interesting and helpful. What else can I do that involves the processor…..?

For the rest of the quiet journey to the Med Bay and my impending doom, I pondered on what other powers that I hadn't tapped into yet. I was a little hesitant about diving into the AllSpark memories. Why? Well, being told that you could blow because of said powerful energy source can make you a little reluctant.

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the Med Bay door.

Mirage paused as we heard a loud crash from inside. After another hesitant moment, he looked down at me. "Are you ready?"

I stared at him in surprise, but said, "I don't think I'll ever be ready for the Hatchet's fury, Mirage. But thanks anyways."

The noble just nodded before opening the door…..

….to be hit in the helm with a wrench.

I winced as the loud clank echoed through the now silent Med Bay. Mirage blinked once, twice, then shook his helm looking a little dazed. I looked around the only-partially-opened door to see a surprised Ratchet, Prowl, and Jazz, with a glowering Barricade in the corner rubbing a dent in his helm. "Nice job, Ratchet."

The CMO snapped out of it and sent the scariest look I've ever seen at me. "Mute it, little glitched femme."

"That's my sparkmate, Ratchet." Barricade said in a low tone.

"I know." He snapped, still glaring daggers at me. Then he looked at Mirage. "My apologies, Mirage. I thought you were one of the twins. Can you please sit the delinquent in your servo on that berth?" He asked pointing at said berth.

I glared at Ratchet. "So now I'm 'the Delinquent'?"

"Mute it." Came the hissed reply.

I huffed and crossed my arms. When Mirage got closer to the berth, I jumped off just to see what Ratchet would do. The medic looked ready to do bodily harm, but Prowl put a servo on his shoulder to stop him from throwing me across the room. "Thank you, Mirage."

The spy just nodded, still looking a bit dazed, before exiting the Med Bay.

There was a tense silence in the Med Bay. I could hear each of the mechs systems. Ratchet's sounded strained almost.

Then the CMO broke the quiet. "You little _idiot._" He hissed lowly.

Prowl took a step back. And another. And another. Until he was standing beside Jazz, a safe distance away.

Aw, crap.

"What in the Pit were you _thinking?_ Wait, I forgot, you _weren't_! How many times do I have to tell you, Nicole? Don't. Leave. The. Med Bay! What will it take to drive it in that thick head of yours?"

"Ratchet-" Barricade started, but Ratchet ignored him and kept going.

"You do not leave this Med Bay until _I _clear you, understand? _My _Med Bay, _my_ rules! Any patient of mine does not go running off doing who knows what. This is not a game! You can get hurt! You could die!"

My original plan had been to keep my mouth shut until Ratchet's lecture was over. But that last sentence sent me over the edge. Now it was war. I was sick and tired of being treated like glass, sick of being told I was going to die, sick of worrying, sick of being _depressed. _

"Do you think I don't know that, Ratchet?" I snapped as the medic opened his mouth. "I know this isn't a game! I almost lost my sparkmate to this _'game'!_ Don't tell me what I already know!" My mouth snapped shut just as I was about to go on. That was partly my fault and partly the AllSpark's fault.

_Careful, girl. Others might suspect something. You've already told one other._

I snarled out loud. "Shut the fragging hell up!"

There was silence…..

And then I realized what I had said.

_Shit…._I thought as the others stared at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was. I sure felt that way right now.

I heaved one tired sigh before flopping down rather ungracefully and putting my head in my hands. "Just do what you have to do, Ratchet. I won't leave again." I muttered.

There was silence for a few moments before I heard Ratchet moving around. Then I felt that tingling sensation of being scanned. I expected him to say something about the fever, but the CMO didn't mention it. I nearly groaned out loud. This meant one of two things:

1: Ratchet didn't detect it, which I sincerely doubted.

2: I had hurt his feelings and he just didn't feel like talking to me.

If it was the first one, then that meant something was jacked up with my body that the AllSpark was probably causing and it was possibly (and, knowing me, my luck, and the AllSpark, most likely) fatal. If it was the second one, well….I had just possibly pushed away a mech that I considered as part of my weird, strange, adopted family of alien beings. Was it weird (and insane) for me to want it to be the first option?

/Are you alright?/

I jumped at Barricade's voice. Ever since my dream with the AllSpark, I had been blocking the memories of it from him. I wasn't sure if he suspected something was up, but sooner or later he would.

/Yeah, I am./ I said over the bond.

Concern filtered through the bond. /It sure doesn't feel like it./

I sighed. /Barricade…..please./

Hurt flickered briefly, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Barricade withdrew to his side of the bond. /Okay./

I wanted to bang my head against something hard and metal, preferably the surface of the med berth I was on. What was wrong with me? Snapping at every person or bot who crossed paths with me. _I am an idiot._ I thought, more than a little disgusted with myself.

"Nicki…"

I looked up into the faceplates of Jazz, who looked sympathetic. "Time ta get back ta yer bed."

I just nodded and stepped into his waiting servo. A few seconds later, Jazz set me back down on the floor and I walked to the door of my room. As I closed the door, I heard Prowl start to say something to Ratchet, but I didn't stick around to hear it. Instead I just walked over to my bed and laid down with a sigh. I don't know how long I sat there in silence, but after awhile, I heard the door open. On instinct I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I heard the soft hum of systems. And I knew exactly which bot it was.

Barricade, even after I had pushed him away, was still by my side. I resisted the urge to sigh. He was too faithful for his own good.

_Bondmates are always faithful._

_Shut up._ I snapped back at the AllSpark.

* * *

"Jazz….."

"Mmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting here in yer office."

Prowl's doorwings flicked sharply in annoyance. "Besides that, Jazz."

The silver saboteur sitting in the chair on the other side of his desk grinned. "Don't know whatcha mean, Prowler."

"Prowl. And, yes, you know what I am talking about. It….feels like you're plotting."

Jazz leaned back further in his chair, putting his pedes on the desk and his servos behind his helm. Prowl frowned before leaning forward and scooting a datapad away from Jazz's pedes with one digit. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Yep."

"So why aren't you doing it?"

"Don't feel like it."

Prowl's frown only deepened. He had gotten used to his bondmate's illogical acts and speech to the point where he wouldn't crash, but that didn't mean it didn't leave him with one Pit of a helm ache. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Yea I did. I'm sitting in yer office." Jazz replied, staring up at the ceiling with a slight grin on his faceplates.

"No, I asked what you were plotting."

"No, ya inferred that I was plottin'. Ya never asked what I was plottin'."

Prowl suddenly wore a smug grin. "So you admit you were plotting?"

Jazz spluttered for a moment before his visor went dim and he shook his helm, smiling. "Sneaky, that's what ya are, Prowler. _But_-" The saboteur exaggerated the word, "if ya need ta know so badly, then, yeah, I am plottin'."

"Dare I ask what?" Prowl asked sarcastically optics returning to the datapad he had been doing.

Jazz sighed. "Why can't ya be tha' sarcastic 'round everybody else?"

"Nonsense. I am plenty sarcastic out in public. Bots just choose to ignore it because they see fit to. And stop trying to distract me from the main question."

Jazz smirked. "Fine. But I was thinking'-"

"Shocker."

Jazz glared at Prowl. "Ya want me ta tell ya or not?"

Without looking up, the SIC motioned for Jazz to go on.

"Well, I was thinkin' 'bout everythin' that's been goin' on lately. Seems ta me like what we all need is a boost in morale."

Prowl sighed and shut his optics. "I can already tell where this is going."

Jazz went on like he had never spoken. "Everyone 'round here 'as been in a downer due ta what's happened. Ya know what they need?" He asked with a grin. "A party. One wit' lotsa music, dancin', an' high grade."

"I knew it." Came the muttered reply from across the desk.

Jazz let his pedes fall off the desk and leaned forward across the desk until his faceplates were a few inches from Prowl's. "Please, Prowler?"

In his processor, Prowl kept repeating, _Don't look at his faceplates. Don't look at his faceplates. Don't look at-_ That disappeared when Jazz tilted his helm so he was forced to look.

Jazz smiled as sweetly as he could. "Pretty please? Wit' sugar and a cherry on top?"

Prowl's resolve crumbled.

"Fine." He mumbled dejectedly, criticizing himself for surrendering so quickly.

The saboteur launched himself over the desk, all but crushing the poor SIC in a hug and kiss. "Thank ya so much, Prowler!" As quick as he had jumped over the desk, Jazz jumped back up and threw a quick, "Love ya!" over his shoulder as the door closed.

"I'm going to regret this." Prowl muttered, staring at the once-upon-a-time neatly-stacked datapads that were now scattered across the floor. "I just know it."

* * *

Nicole POV

I sighed again as Ratchet went through another scan. Barricade had gone back to our quarters to get some actual sleep. Though, from what I could tell across the bond, that wasn't working out so well for him. Jazz and Prowl had left off to do…..something. And I was still in here with Ratchet. The silence from the medic was nerve-wracking, unusual, and needed to stop. Now.

As the medic scrolled through the latest scans on a datapad, I said, "Okay, look, Ratchet. I'm sorry that I snapped at you earlier."

The neon yellow Hummer paused in his work. "Nicole, there is nothing to be sorry about." He said, in that tone that I hate because I can't tell what he's thinking.

"Well, _I _feel the need to apologize. I really shouldn't have snapped at you. After all, you've been working you aft off trying to keep me from killing myself or something-"

At this point, Ratchet laughed.

I gaped at him in shock. Here I was trying to apologize, and he was fragging _laughing_ at me.

After a few minutes of laughing, Ratchet finally calmed down enough to look at me. By this time, I had started glaring at him. That seemed to make him even more amused. He smiled as he turned back around, starting to organize a drawer filled with torture devices he called medical instruments. "Nicole, there honestly is nothing to apologize for. I understand that you are tired of seeing the inside of the Med Bay all the time. You have the right to be upset."

He turned back around, this time wearing a stern look and pointing a rather sharp looking instrument at me. "But that does not give you the right to leave without my permission." As he talked, my eyes followed the instrument as the medic waved it through the air emphasizing his point. "I am not keeping you in here just for the spite of it. It may seem that you are healed, but your body has been through a lot. It needs time to rest."

Ratchet's faceplates softened. "Nicole, you gave us all a scare. We are still worried. I've seen soldiers on their way to recovery take a turn for the worse and not make it. I refuse to let that happen to you."

I blinked once before saying quietly, "Thanks, Ratch. I appreciate that and all, but…I honestly feel fine, beside the fever that been going the past few hours-"

And just like that, Ratchet went from nice and caring to alert and ready to inject me with those freaky needles. "What? Why didn't you tell me? A fever? How long? This didn't show up on my scanners….."

Again I felt the tingling sweep across me. I sighed. "I thought you had already detected it, but just wasn't talking to me. It's been going on ever since I went to the cafeteria. I don't know why it didn't show up on your scanners."

Ratchet pretty much growled at himself. "_Nothing_ is showing up! Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I was burning up so much that I got a Coke and ended up breaking the vending machine!"

Ratchet shot me a look that promised a talk about that particular incident. But instead he said, "You should've gotten a water. Coke will not help."

I glared. "Well, _excuse _me. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Ratchet ignored me and turned his holoform on. The human-Ratchet put a hand to my forehead. "Nicole, you don't even _feel_ hot. Can you still feel the fever?"

"Yes!"I said indignantly. I put my own hand to my head, then jerked away at the touch. I was _burning._ This began to worry me. Was what the AllSpark showed me about to happen? It was too soon! Had I done something to alter the course-

"_Nicole!_"

I jumped as Ratchet snapped his servos in my face. He had turned his holoform off and I hadn't even noticed I was so busy in my own thoughts.

I took a deep shaky breath. "Sorry, Ratchet. What were you saying?"

The CMO watched me with a hard gaze for another few moments before saying, "If you continue to feel this way, I want you to tell me. I can't do anything for you unless I know what's going on. The scans all come back blank."

I sighed and stared down at the silver med berth. " 'Kay, Ratch. Thanks anyway-"

I was cut off as the Med Bay doors swished open(Prowl, who has something against swinging doors, had had all of the doors on base replaced with code activated sliding doors). We both looked up to see Optimus walk in.

The Autobot Commander smiled at us both. "Good afternoon, Ratchet. Nicole, how are you feeling?"

"Great." I lied, giving him a thumbs up. Ratchet shot me a sharp look that clearly said, _'Oh, so now you feel better.'_

Optimus nodded. "I'm glad. I apologize for not stopping by earlier, but there have been…things that were brought to my attention by the human government."

You know that feeling of impending doom? I felt that one right now. There was a larger meaning behind those words. And my gut and sixth sense were telling me that it involved yours truly. I sighed. "What do they want now?"

Optimus smiled a little at my tone, but turned grim. "They….want to talk to you. And Barricade. About the recent events."

_Great, more thick headed people to explain my twisted relationship to. _I though wearily. Again, I sighed. "When and where?"

For the first time since I had met him, Optimus looked sheepish. "Actually, the meeting starts in fifteen minutes."

The looks that Ratchet and I were wore must've said something along the lines of _Why the frag did you just now tell us?_

Optimus looked even more sheepish. "Well….Elita and I-"

"Say no more, Optimus. I don't need to know." I said quickly. Then I looked to Ratchet. "Can I go?"

Ratchet was still glaring at Optimus(I think I even saw his servo twitch in the direction of a wrench on a nearby table). "I guess. But don't strain your body in doing anything too tiring."

I nodded. "Thanks, Ratchet." Then I stepped into Optimus' waiting servo and he set me on his shoulder. "I promise I'll be back later."

"You better."

"So," I said as the Med Bay doors closed behind us. "Have you told Barricade yet?"

"Yes." Optimus' deep baritone voice made a vibration in my chest. "I sent him a comm message."

"Oh." I said. I was staring at my clothes, which were still pajamas. "Can I change?"

* * *

Willow watched as Jazz keyed the code into his and Prowl's quarters. The saboteur looked even more excited than usual and was bouncing on his pedes, singing a song to himself.

"Umm….Jazz? What's got you so worked up?" She finally asked.

He jumped in surprise, obviously not realizing she had been there. "Uhh…well, Prowler jus' gave me permission ta have a party. And I needed ta get my Ipod so I could listen ta it on the way ta Wal-Mart-"

The green-haired woman held her hands up. "Wait. You're going to Wal-Mart?"

"Yea. Need ta get buncha stuff for the party-""Can I come? I need more hair dye."

"Don't see why not. Jus' let me get a few things from in here…." The Pontiac dashed inside and was back out in fifteen seconds. " 'Kay, ya ready?"

"Yep."

* * *

Nicole POV

"Nicole…."

"Yes, Optimus?"

"Are you sure about wearing that to the meeting?"

I looked down at my hurried outfit. It consisted of dark jean that had a few holes in them, a black shirt that said in white capitalized letters 'EPIC FAILURE', and my tennis shoes. For me, this was an everyday outfit, a damn comfortable one, too, and it seemed okay to me. "Yeah."

"…..Okay."

I resisted the urge to laugh at Optimus' faceplates, which I had a great view of from his shoulder.

The halls were eerily quiet as we neared the conference room, which also served as the command center. As Optimus entered the code, I looked back down at my outfit, doubt trickling in my mind. Was this really appropriate?

I nearly snorted. I knew the answer to that already. Then a thought struck me. Why do people ask themselves questions that they already know the answers to? That's…..well, _stupid._

When the doors swished open, I saw that on the wall farthest from us, there were several computer terminals and buttons and built-in key boards installed in the wall with swiveling seats in front of each one. There was a long rectangular table in the middle, with too many seats to count. On the table were chairs for humans.

Prowl was seated at the end, on the right side of the chair that was at the head, going over datapads. Barricade was seated next to him, looking almost….nervous. There were a few humans standing on the table, talking amongst themselves. I recognized the blonde woman, who was talking to a few officials with a stiff, irritated look.

My first thought was, 'Small meeting'.

Then the blonde woman set eyes on me, and I knew there was trouble coming.

Optimus set me down before sitting down at the head of the table beside Prowl. Immediately, I went and stood by Barricade. I heard my bondmate give a small snort. /It's almost like you're trying to piss off someone. Like Prowl./

I turned and looked at Prowl. He was staring at me like he couldn't believe that I was standing there. For the third time, I looked down at my outfit. Then I looked back at Prowl and shrugged, mouthing, 'What?'.

The tactician sent me a sharp look before looking at Barricade. A few moments later Barricade shrugged before looking back down at me. /Prowl said to tell you that next time he's going to pick out your outfit for you./

/Like hell he will./ I sent back. Then I stuck my tongue out at Prowl. He sent me another stern look before turning back to his datapads with a frown.

Another small snort came from Barricade as I sat down and leaned against his arm, which was propped on the table. I couldn't help the small smile that drifted across my face before I turned serious again. /Barricade, I'm sorry./

His amused mood was gone in an instant. /What for?/

/I pushed you away earlier. I know you were only trying to help. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?/

I heard a sigh through the bond. /Nicole, I already forgave you a long time ago. Yes, it hurt, but you just wanted to be left alone. There is nothing to be sorry for./

I sighed. /I love you. You know that?/

/How could you not love me?/

/You sound like a Sunstreaker incarnate./

/Better start paying attention again. But I love you, too./

I smiled again, before doing as he said. The other humans had sat down in their chairs, which were arranged in a line so that they faced the bots. The only human standing was the blonde woman, who wore a business skirt and crisp white blouse. Her heels clicked as she walked to stand in front of Optimus. "Optimus Prime, my name is Director Susan Fenner. I am the new National Security Advisor and have been appointed liaison."

The Autobot Commander nodded to her. "It it nice to meet you, Director Fenner. This is my Second In Command, Prowl," He nodded to the Dodge Charger and then my spark mate, "and this is Barricade."

Director Fenner had nodded to Prowl, but just shot a cold look at Barricade. This made me mad, but Barricade sent waves of soothing comfort across the bond, basically telling me to keep my anger in check.

Then Optimus gestured to me. "And this human girl here is Nicole Witwicky."

I nodded at Fenner. Her nose wrinkled as if looking at me caused her discomfort. This time it was me trying to calm Barricade. Fenner's disgust with me barely bothered me. In fact, it fragging _amused _me.

"Director Fenner," Optimus started, "what would be the reason you have brought us to this meeting?"She glanced at me once before turning back to Optimus. "Miss Witwicky was brought back to base a month and a half ago, is that correct?" Without waiting for an answer, she went on. "Since then, there has been a spike in Decepticon activity. Two attacks have been made, one outside near civilians and the most recent here on base. Two attacks over the course of a month and half. Before Miss Witwicky arrived, there were only two attacks during five months. Either the Decepticons are getting bolder, or…"

Director Fenner turned and looked straight into my eyes. I held her gaze, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "Or, they are trying to get to you, Miss Witwicky."

Barricade shifted, and that was all I needed as an invitation to stand up swiftly and turn to face him. His blue optics were blazing as he glared at the woman. "Barricade." I said softly. He paid no attention to me. "Barricade." I said a bit stronger.

Finally, his optics gazed down at me. I stared at him, trying to make my own anger disappear. "It's okay." After a few moments, the burning anger faded away, but there was still a cold sharp edge to those optics that I loved.

I sighed before turning back. Prowl's doorwings were raised high and his stiff posture told me that he wasn't exactly happy with the liaison. Optimus looked the same way(well, besides the doorwings and all…).

I forced myself to face the woman I was beginning to hate. "Director Fenner, the only reason they are trying to get me is because I hold the AllSpark." I pulled the shard out of my shirt. It gleamed in the light, and for a second I thought it flashed blue. "The AllSpark gave me access to the powers it has. Using AllSpark energy, I resurrected Jazz, Third In Command and Head of Special Ops. And, as you saw at the meeting we had a few weeks ago, it also gives me the ability to do other things."

Fenner stared at me with a hard cold gaze. "Miss Witwicky, I do not believe in magic."

The calm and polite manner I had vanished at that. I could tell that it affected the other mechs in the room, too, just by the hitching of their systems. _Magic?_ Was she really that stupid?

Anger makes me do rash things. Like opening my mouth and saying the wrong things. Like now.

"_Idiot._" I hissed. "Did I not just show you and every other person in that meeting that I'm telling the truth?"

"Holograms." Director Fenner said flatly. "You easily could've used holograms. With the advanced technology-technology that you refuse to share with us, I might add-, you easily could have pulled it off."

"Director, I can assure you that we did not use holograms, or any other kind of trickery." Optimus spoke up. I could tell by his tone he was trying very hard to remain polite.

She waved her hand as if that was going to make us drop the subject. "That is not the only thing that has been brought to my attention. When Miss Witwicky also came to base, she brought a Decepticon with her." Fenner turned and looked at Barricade. "That would be you, correct?"

I opened my mouth to snap something back, but Barricade beat me to it. "Three and a half years ago, I quit being a Decepticon."

The liaison looked doubtful. "May I ask why?"

Barricade hesitated before nodding to me. "Nicole."

She didn't even glance at me. "Can you not tell me yourself, alien?"

I growled lowly while Barricade frowned. "I quit _because _of Nicole."

"Why? What could make you, a Decepticon, just quit because of a simple human? Last time I checked, the Decepticons are trying to wipe out the human race."

This time I answered her. "We're bonded. In human terms, it's the same thing as married, only with a deeper connection than a ring and vows."

Director Fenner stared at me in something that looked close to shock and disgust. I could already see what was going through her head. _'How the hell does that work?'_. I nearly laughed.

But instead she just composed herself (which made me disappointed; I wanted to see this woman freak out) and turned back to Optimus. "How do you know we can trust this 'Con?"

"He's not a 'Con." I snapped, anger getting the better of me.

She glared at me. "I'll be the judge of that."

I threw my hands up. "He hasn't even threatened a single human, let alone _hurt_ one! If we didn't trust Barricade, he wouldn't be within a hundred feet of this base! I know him better than anyone. Better than _you_. And I know he wouldn't betray us. I don't expect you to understand spark bonds, but I can tell if the thought of betraying us would even cross Barricade's mind. Frag, I know what's going on in his helm right now!"

Director Fenner crossed her arms. "And what would he be thinking right now, Miss Witwicky?"

I pretended to ponder that for second before saying, "He thinks you're a bitch."

There was silence for a few moments.

Then Barricade said, "That's not what I was thinking."

I turned around and grinned at him. "I know. That's really what _I _was thinking."

Prowl gave a low whine and pressed a servo to his helm. "You're going to make me glitch with your illogical and irrational and _immature _behavior, Nicole."

I snorted. "Me? Immature? Since when?"

The tactician gave me a stern look. "You and me are going to have a talk after this."

"Ooh, scary."

Optimus gave a small cough that sounded like a laugh behind his servo. I would've bet twenty bucks that he was smiling. When he finally seemed to compose himself, he looked down to the liaison, who was giving me a look that would've sent most people running. I stuck my tongue out at her. "Director, I fully trust Barricade. Up to this point, there has been no reason for me to suspect different. If that is all, then I believe this meeting is dismissed."

Director Fenner finally stopped glaring at me and looked up at Optimus. "That isn't all. As I said earlier, the Decepticons attacked close to civilians. They haven't done this before. And I believe the only reason they did this time was to try and capture Miss Witwicky. This is a perfectly eligible reason to have her moved to Diego Garcia."

Prowl spoke up. "She is perfectly safe here where most of the Autobots are-"

"I am not concerned for her _safety_," she cut him off sharply, "but for the assurance that no more harm is done while she remains on the main land. Miss Witwicky is a threat to the civilians around the base. As long as she stays here, the Decepticons will continue to make bold moves."

I stared at the stupid woman (okay, in _my_ eyes she was stupid…..but that's just my opinion). Half of me wanted to call her some creative names and maybe even slap and/or punch her. But that other half of me couldn't help but wonder if she was right. Was I a threat? Who am I kidding. I knew the answer to that. Yes, I was. At any moment I could explode. That has to be a pretty big threat. And that's not even the same threat she was talking about. If the Decepticons decided to attack while I was out in public, everyone around me would be in danger. That was how Willow had been pulled into this mess. She had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As much as I hated to admit it, the liaison had every right to call me a threat. Damn.

I heard Barricade growl to himself before he stood up. "I need some air." He half mumbled to me. I winced. Barricade was mad. _Really_ mad. Waves of anger kept hitting me from his side of the bond.

As the door swished shut behind my sparkmate, I looked at Director Fenner(if I could've said anything to her at that moment, it would've been, _'Woman, don't you know that it's not a good idea to piss off an alien robot that could easily squish you?'_). The woman looked too smug for her own good. She held my gaze before turning to Optimus and Prowl. "Have I made my point?"

"No, you have not." Prowl pretty much snapped at her.

Optimus and I could only stare at the SIC in shock. Since when did Prowl snap at government officials?

He closed his optics and took a deep breath before opening his optics again. "What I meant to say is that you do not have enough proof, if what you have could even be called proof. The Decepticons are not just attacking at random times, Director. They are waiting until they think we are most vulnerable. As much as I hate to admit it, they are not stupid. The first attack happened while Nicole, our Third In Command, Barricade, and one other human were on their way back from a trip to town. The Decepticons took advantage of the fact that there were only two Autobots present to put up any resistance. The second attack happened during the night, when most of the bases' occupants were asleep. In both attacks, they attacked when they thought us to be most vulnerable. Yes, maybe they were attacking because of Nicole, but the attacks were not spontaneous. If this proves anything, it shows that the Decepticons are getting more desperate."

Silence followed Prowl's speech. My line of thought was, _'Wow. Way to go, Prowl!'_

Director Fenner glared up at Prowl, but he held her gaze evenly. After a few tense moments, she looked away. "This meeting is over."

* * *

The meeting room was silent now except for the sound of Prowl gathering up his datapads. Only me and the tactician remained in the room. After stiffly accepting Optimus' offer for help to get off the table, Director Fenner had stalked out of the room, no doubt plotting more ways to make our lives miserable (again, that's just my opinion….my very possibly _right_ opinion). Optimus had offered to take me back to Ratchet, but I had stayed behind to talk to Prowl.

I watched Prowl scribble something on a datapad quickly before putting it with the others. Finally I said, "Thank you, Prowl."

He jumped before looking at me in surprise. "Nicole? You're still here?"

"Yeah…..Did you not notice me?"

"Usually I am the only one left after a meeting. But why are you thanking me?"

"Because you stood up for me."

Prowl paused, staring at me for a few moments. Then, "Your welcome….I guess."

I tilted my head a little to the side. "You sound hesitant. Why?"

He sighed. "I….do not think you should have to thank me. I felt as if I was compelled to do it. As if it was the right thing to do. Almost like….." It was Prowl's turn to tilt his helm. "Almost like I was your creator."

I blinked. "Oh. Well….thanks. I really appreciated it, Prowl. I like to think of you and Jazz as my creators." That brought up another thought. "Speaking of, where is Jazz?"

Prowl groaned and ran a servo over his faceplates. "I gave him permission to have a party. He went…..shopping."

I tried to imagine Jazz walking through the aisles of Wal-Mart with a shopping cart. Hence the word 'tried'.

Instead of telling Prowl that it probably wasn't a good idea to go shopping by himself, I just hmmed and said, "Well, I wish you the best of luck."

Prowl sighed. "I'll probably need it." He paused, then said, "I was serious about choosing your outfit."

I threw my hands up. "There is nothing wrong with this outfit!"

"It is immature, not fit for a meeting with official, and illogical."

"Prowl, I don't _have _any outfits suitable for a meeting."

"Then I will find you some."

I shook my head. "Oh, no. You are _not_ going to make me wear formal, uncomfortable, non-fun clothes. I simply _cannot._"

Prowl snorted. "Of course you can. It's not as if you're allergic to them."

"But, Prowlie, I _am_."

"Nicole, can you at least act like the twenty year old you are? And _not_ call me Prowlie?"

"No."

Prowl sighed. "You make things so difficult."

"Correction: _life _makes things so difficult. I'm just there when it happens."

* * *

Me: Well, that certainly took a long time to update. I feel so guilty. This has been written for almost a week, I just needed to add finishing touches. But real life sucks, so between custody battles and school, I haven't had time to update.

Liar Me: Yes, you have.

Me: Dammit, Liar, I don't feel like dealing with you right now. Abusive, get the duct tape.

Abusive Me: *gets duct tape and starts to wrap it around Liar*

Random Me: I'm getting a headache watching you go around and around and arou-SQUIRREL! *points excitedly*

Nice Me: I don't see a squirrel.

Me: That's 'cause there ISN'T a squirrel, stupid. *sighs* back to what I was saying. So, we have a clone Galloway on our hands, a female one. I changed her name a few times, so if I call her one thing and then call her something different, that's why. I tried to make this chapter less angsty…. By the way, my birthday is next Thursday. I'm going to try and update the next chapter by then, but who knows?

**Artemis: **Dang, that is a lot of questions. Darla coming back is a surprise, no, it's not next chapter, Jazz has ADD, so it's bad, yes I'm making a sequel to this, I don't know how many chapters, and….that next question is a surprise.

**Anika Chancer: **I do have a Deviant Art account. But there's only one deviation, and it sucks, 'cause it is basically a HubbleSite pic edited. I've got semi-good drawings(okay, not really that good, but better than my BF's; her words, not mine), just no way to get them on the computer. And I don't have Photoshop either, but I'm trying to figure out how to get one.

**Silverfire: **Thanks so much for talking to me. It's nice to be able to talk to someone about Transformers, and you helped me through the custody battle. So, thanks.

**All Reviewers: **Thanks, guys, for reviewing. The reviews are the only thing that keeps me updating.

If anyone ever has any questions for me, ask in a review or PM.

**NEXT CHAPTER: FINALLY, IT'S PARTY TIME! BARRICADE HAS A SURPRISE FOR NICOLE. AND NICOLE MAKES A BET WITH JAZZ….WHICH PROBABLY ISN'T A GOOD IDEA.**

**If you think hate Director Fenner, review. Please. I can't believe I reached the 150 mark that quick….**


	19. A Ring And Roller Skates

Chapter 19:

Nicole POV

"Well, that was fun."

"Fun for _you_, maybe."

"Wadda ya mean?"

"Jazz, you went through the car wash _six _times. I think the first time was good enough."

"We didn't have those kinda things on Cybertron, so it was a new experience for me!"

"Hate to break it to you, but here on Earth you go through them _once_, and that's it! Despite the fact that it was a new experience!"

I peeked around the corner curiously at the slightly raised voices. I had spent another hour or two with Prowl in his office, just pretty much talking. The fever that I felt but no else could feel was still there. I had been on my way back to the Med Bay when Jazz got back. Apparently he took Willow with him.

As they walked around the corner, Willow threw her hands up as best as she could, because they were full of groceries. "That isn't the only thing. You spent thirty minutes in the music department. When I left for four seconds, I came back just in time to see some woman slap you because you asked her when she was expecting a baby!"

I had to admit, Jazz looked pretty funny carrying a bunch of groceries that were gathered in his servos. I just hoped they hadn't bought any eggs. The saboteur shot a glare at the human woman walked in front of him. "Well, she had human infant supplies in the cart and looked pregnant! And it wasn't me tha' kept shovin' free samples in my mouth!"

"Dude, if someone offers you free samples, you don't say no! Only a bloody idiot would do that! Also, that wasn't even her cart! And if there's three things you don't mention to a human woman, it's her weight, appearance, and age!"

Jazz seemed to think about that for a second for grinning wickedly and asked Willow, "Hey, Willie, how much do ya weigh?"

At this point Willow screamed, whether out of frustration or because Jazz was driving her crazy, and took off down the hall running. It actually looked pretty funny, because her arms were laden with bags and that made it that much harder to run.

We watched her disappear around the corner in silence. Then I looked up at Jazz. "Nice. You just managed to break one of the most level headed people I know."

"On the bright side, she didn't crash like Prowler."

"I guess." I didn't bother pointing out that the closest thing to crashing for a human would be fainting. Instead I gave the Wal-Mart bags a pointed look. "What's in those?"

Jazz gave me a cheeky grin. "A surprise fer tonight."

I nodded, still eyeing the bags. "Uh-huh." My curiosity got the better of me. "What else did you do at Wal-Mart?"

Jazz hmmed. "Let me jus' say tha' you humans have lotsa weird stuff in the health department, some kinky stuff in yer clothes section-'specially you femmes-, an' tha' staff don't care how many items ya got when yer in the twenty items or less lane. And tha' Tampons are absorbent when stuck in fish tanks."

Palm, meet face. "I am never going shopping with you. Ever. One question, though. You went through the twenty items or less lane? And you've got, like, three hundred?"

Jazz shrugged. "Actually, I started counting how many the humans in the lane had."

"You probably looked like an idiot. Can't you tell me what's in the bags?"

"Like I said, it's a surprise. Ya wanna help me get the party ready?"

I hesitated. "I'll have to ask Ratchet."

Jazz nodded. "Hold on a sec, Nicki." His optics dimmed. I tapped into the comm. frequency like I had with Mirage. ::Hey Ratch. Jazz here.::

::What, Jazz? I'm busy. The Chevy twins decided to have a wrestling match and somehow managed to dislocate each others arms.::

Jazz winced. ::Ouch. But I was goin' ta ask if Nicki could hang with me fer a while. She's gonna help me with some stuff.::

::This 'stuff' better not result in her being stuck in the Med bay again, got it?::

::Aww, come on, Ratchet. She's wit' me.::

::That's what I'm worried about.::

::Tha' hurt, Hatchet. Bad.::

::I'm sure it did. Ratchet out::

Jazz snorted when he cut the line. "Bots around here seem ta think tha' I'm irresponsible or somethin'."

"Surely not." I said dryly.

Jazz shot me a grin like I never said anything. "Ratchet gave us the go. Firs', I gotta go see Blaster an' see if he can help us set up. I also gotta ask him if he's got a karaoke machine. Then we'll pay the Twin Terrors a visit an' see if they can make some their high grade. After tha', we can start settin' up."

I transwarped to Jazz's shoulder and sat down. When he was sure I wouldn't fall off and kill myself, he started walking again. "Where's yer bondmate, Nicki? Tall, dark, and gloomy go for a drive or somethin'?"

I sighed. "For one thing, he's not gloomy. Just…..quiet. But I don't know. Optimus, Prowl, Barricade, and I had a stupid meeting with some woman who acted like a bitch. She said some pretty harsh things, though some of them were true, and Barricade got mad and walked out. I haven't seen him since."

Jazz was quiet for a moment. Then, "Ya worried, Nicki?"

"Yeah," I said equally quietly.

"Don't worry 'bout 'im. Jus' needs ta blow off some steam. Can ya tell where he is now?"

"Well, he's not on base, if you're wondering."

At this point, we had reached Blaster's quarters. Music was blaring inside and it sounded like some kind of rock song. Jazz shifted the groceries so that they were in one servo and press the chime. How Blaster heard it, I had no idea, but the door swished open to reveal a grinning Blaster who was dancing along to the music. "Jazz-mech, Nicki, what brings you to my humble abode?"

Blaster lowered the volume as Jazz said, "Hey, mech. Prowler gave me the go for a party tonight. Nicki here," he tapped me on the head with silver claw and I called him something very unpleasant, "was gonna come help me. Ya wanna help, too?"

Blaster grinned widely and shut the music off entirely. "Sure, mech, just let me get a few things."

As he dashed back inside, Jazz called after him, "What about a karaoke machine?"

"Red let me install a program in the TV in the Rec room. All I gotta do is press a few buttons and the TV instantly changes to a karaoke machine." The Communications bot came back out with his arms filled with speakers, wires, and other electronics. "Ready?"

* * *

I smiled mostly to myself as Jazz and Blaster sang along (loudly) to Michael Jackson's _Thriller _that was blaring from both or their speakers.

I was sitting on a table in the Rec room, using paint to make posters advertising the party, both human sized and Transformer sized. I had no idea where Jazz had gotten the paint; probably Sunny(Jazz said that he had gotten permission, but just by the grin on his faceplates I was leaning towards the theory that he had hacked the twins quarters…). Blaster and Jazz were _supposed_ to be putting together a track of all kinds of music from both of their libraries…..But I didn't see how they were getting that done _and_ singing _Thriller_ at the same time. Oh, and I mention that they were having a dance off, too?

Wheeljack had made Transformer sized Wii sticks. You wouldn't believe how many games they had for the thing, and they also had a Playstation, Xbox, and other game consoles.

This was the general picture in the Rec room: The couch, chairs, and tables pushed back to make a clear area. On the TV screen it showed Just Dance 2. Jazz and Blaster were dancing to _Tik Tok _by Ke$ha, even though they were singing to _Thriller._

To say it was a strange sight was an understatement.

As the song came to an end, Jazz got a little too excited and threw his arms up. The joystick flew out of his servo, went over my head (_"What the-"_), and sailed towards the door. Where it hit a certain SIC square in the faceplates.

The only sound in the room was Jazz and Blaster's speakers still playing _Thriller._

It was broken when Prowl muttered, "Ow."

Blaster and I succumbed to laughter, while Jazz just stood there with his mouth hanging open. He snapped out of it and grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Uh….Sorry 'bout tha', babe."

Prowl made a rumbling sound that could've been laughter, and reached up to massage his slightly dented nasal plates. "Apology accepted, Jazz."

By the time the SIC had walked in, I had tears rolling down my cheeks and could barely breathe. Blaster wasn't much better. I gasped, trying so hard to stop. "Jazz….there's a reason….they….tell you to….wear the strap."

In response to that, Jazz tapped me on the head again.

"Fraggit, Jazz-!"

Before I could aim a highly charged burst of AllSpark energy at him, he literally danced over to Prowl, grabbed his servo, and twirled him around. "So, Prowler, ya gonna dance wit' me tonight?"

His bondmate looked frazzled as his equilibrium reset. "I don't dance, Jazz."

"I'm could teach ya!"

"As much as I appreciate it, I can't. Like the humans say, I have two left pedes. The only way you could ever get me to dance was if I was over-energized and that will never happen again."

"Again?" I echoed, while Jazz put on his best pout face. "Please, Prowlie?"

"Primus, that's even more annoying than Prowler, Jazz." The black and white muttered. "But my answer is still no." Before his bonded could open his mouth again, he said quickly, "I came here to tell you that Mirage wanted to go over some intel he gathered last time he snuck into the Decepticon base with you. He's waiting at your office."

Jazz gave an over exaggerated sigh. "Do I have ta?"

"Yes, you do." Prowl said with an air of finality and gave him an affectionate tap on the helm with his doorwing. "I'm sure you'll survive." He nodded to me and Blaster. "Good afternoon, Nicole, Blaster."

As the door swished shut behind him, I asked, "What happened last time Prowl was over-energized?"

Both Jazz and Blaster snorted. Bending down to get the dropped Wii consol, Blaster said, "It was right back on Cybertron. Prowl started dancing on the tables in the Rec room. Jazz encouraged it."

Said saboteur crossed his arms. "I did not. I jus' merely made sure he didn't do nothin' too crazy."

"By getting on the table and dancing with him." Blaster said flatly.

"Hey, mech, when I got the chance I took it-"

"I wish I could've seen that." I said before they could go on arguing.

Jazz grinned cheekily. "I bet I could get 'im over-energized 'gain."

"For some reason, I sincerely doubt that."

"Ya willin' ta bet on tha', Nicki?"

Somewhere in my mind, I knew this was a bad idea. But wherever that was, it was far, far, far away.

I stood up and put my hands on my hips. "I am."

Jazz cackled evilly. "Great. Now, here's the rules. If I win, ya gotta wear roller skates for a week and…." He thought about it for a second, then said, "….ya gotta sing a song at the party."

I blinked, not sure if I had heard him right. Then, "What?"

"Ya heard me."

"No, I am not going to _sing_."

"Ya backin' down, Nicki? Do I heard a surrender?"

I glared at him. "Fine. I'll do it if you win. But, if I win, you have to give me your iPod for a week," Jazz looked horrified, while Blaster snickered at his expression, "and change your paint job to neon pink."

Jazz stared at me for a moment. Then in a flat voice he said, "Really hung up on the pink thing, aren't ya?"

"I just really hate pink, and you'd look fabulous in it."

Jazz looked down at his silver frame. "Ya really think so?"

I face palmed. "_God_, this place is _full_ of idiots." Then I looked at Blaster. "No offense to you, though."

He shrugged, grinning. "None taken. I know just what ya mean, femme."

'_Finally, a sane person. Or…..bot.'_ I looked back to Jazz. "The deadline is by the end of the party tonight." I stuck my hand out. "Deal?"

He held his servo out. "Deal." I shook his clawed digit.

Sometimes I can be a real idiot.

* * *

Barricade POV

"That one." I said to the human man behind the counter.

He smiled and nodded, before reaching in the case to get what I had requested. As I watched, I heard my comm beep.

::Barricade here.:: I said into the comm, walking a few feet away from the counter.

::Barricade? Mech, where ya been?::

::Jazz? What's wrong?::

::I don't know, jus' that yer bonded is worried 'bout ya since ya took off without tellin' anyone where ya went.:: There was a pause. ::But like I said, I don't know.::

I winced. ::Can you just tell Nicole not to worry? I'll be back in a while.::

::Mech, ya better give me a damn good reason not ta go find ya and drag ya back by those wing-things on yer back-::

::They're not wings.:: I snapped. ::They're just sensory panels on my back, like your audio horns.::

I heard Jazz snort. ::Tha' don't change the fact tha' ya look like a fraggin' fairy.::

::And you look like a minibot.::

::Hey, I heard tha'-::

::Look, just tell Nicole not to worry. I'm getting her a surprise.::

There was a pause on the other end. Then I heard Jazz _giggle_. Fragging immature saboteur. ::Awwww, tha's so sweet, 'Cadey!::

::I swear, Jazz, if you even think of telling Nicole-::

::Hold up, mech. I ain't gonna tell. Swear on my spark. Or, I would, but I'm tryin' ta get Prowler ta drink this high grade…::

::High grade?::

::Well, let's jus' put it this way. If I win the bet, and I will, then Nicki's gonna have a surprise for _you._::

* * *

Nicole POV

I sat at one of the human sized tables, watching the party in progress.

And still no Barricade.

We had finished preparing the Rec room for the party, with lots of banners hanging from the ceiling, Blaster as acting DJ, music blasting out of speakers, different bots and humans taking a shot at Just Dance 2, refreshments for both the bots and humans(the twins rigged one of the Energon dispensers to give out their special brew, and I suspected they had spiked the human punch after tasting it), and the tables and couch were pushed out of the way to allow partiers to dance comfortably.

I watched gloomily as couples danced together to slow lulling music. Lennox was dancing with his wife, both of them smiling. Earlier I had seen Epps trying to woo a woman in a soldiers uniform. Optimus and Elita, Ironhide and Chromia, and Hound and an invisible Mirage were all dancing. Inferno had convinced Red Alert to finally get out of the monitor room, but the Security Director looked like his expected someone to come up and attack him.

Heck, even _Wheelie_ was dancing(even if it was with a Barbie Doll).

I sighed and tried to reach through the bond again. I could still feel Barricade, but he had managed to block his location from me.

Just for Barricade, I had actually dressed up. Okay, well, I was sort of _forced_ into it (by Taylor and Willow), but now I was wearing a fragging black dress, one with spaghetti straps and it came down just below my knees. Simple, but elegant, was what Taylor had said. She had also let me borrow some black high heels that I had already twisted my ankles in three times. I had even let Willow use her artistic side and put mascara on me(which I was really not enjoying). Willow had also done my hair and pinned it up in a bun, letting a few bangs hang down so she could use the curling iron to curl them.

When I had looked at the end result, I couldn't help but thinking I actually looked really pretty. I had hugged both of them and thanked them, while Taylor was crying her eyes out and Willow was snapping pictures. Willow said it was a once in a life time thing to get me dressed up, so she was taking advantage of the moment; I nearly broke my leg trying to aim a smack to her head.

"Are these seats taken?" A grumpy voice asked behind me.

I turned to see a very grumpy looking Willow and Taylor.

Willow's hair was dyed silver and straightened so it went a little past her shoulders. She wore a silver sequined mini-dress and I could see her eye shadow was a gray-silver mix, while her nails where also silver. Taylor had let her curly hair be curly, and she had on eyeliner and a shimmery golden eyeshadow. She wore a gold sequined mini-dress just like Willow's and carried a gold hand bag.

I blinked, then simply said, "No."

"Good." Willow huffed, before plopping down on my left and Taylor sat on my right.

There was a tense silence, before I asked, "Do…..the colors of your outfits mean anything?"

Both of them looked down at their outfits, before looking back up and saying, "No."

At this point I started laughing.

They both glared at me the whole two minutes I was laughing. By the time it was over, I was coughing and trying very hard not to cry and ruin the make up. "What?" They both snapped.

I coughed again, smiling, before saying, "Oh, I don't know…Just that you aren't with the twins….and you look mad…..and your outfits match their armor color."

Willow groaned and let her head thunk on the table. Taylor tried to stay mad, but that lasted a whole two seconds before she deflated, looking miserable. "Is it that obvious?"

I felt bad at laughing at them just by the way she looked. "Sort of. Okay, yeah, it is."

Taylor sighed. "They know we like them, and we know they like us…..But they keep running. It's so stupid."

"They're bloody idiots." Willow added helpfully, not looking up.

"Since when do you use 'bloody' to describe things?" I asked.

"Since I watched that funny British movie…..with Sideswipe."

I patted her shoulder sympathetically.

Taylor stood up, sighing. "I'm going to go get a beer. Want one?"

"Sure." I said.

Willow sat back up and shook her head, silver hair swishing. "Ugh, no thanks. Just get me Coke."

Taylor shrugged and left.

Willow and I sat in a silence for a few moments before she laughed. "What?" I asked.

She shook her head, smiling. "Nothing. It just reminded me of prom. My date ran out on me after he drank too much spiked Coke and threw up." She sighed. "Was I expecting too much of Sideswipe?"

"What do you mean?""Do you think I expected too much of him? Like, you know, to ask me to dance?"

I stared at her uncertainly, then, "Willow…..I don't know much about relationships. I only dated one guy, and that was Barricade."She sighed again. "I wonder how many guys I'll have to go through to find The One. You're one of the lucky ones."

"Lucky." I said quietly. "Yeah." Lucky, I though bitterly. Right. I found my true love, only to lose him just as quick as I realized he was the one for me. But, as I looked at Willow's miserable expression, and Jazz's words echoed through my head, I realized that maybe I was lucky to have Barricade, if only for a short time.

Taylor came back holding three red plastic cups. After getting the right drinks to the right person (Willow took a drink of a beer and spit it out, nearly ruining her dress), I held my glass up. "To a better future?"

Taylor smiled bitterly. "One with a boyfriend."

Willow snorted. "One with a lasting relationship."

"Amen to that." Taylor said.

All three of us laughed, before taking a drink.

Then Willow stared at Taylor and me. "How old are you?"

"Twenty." We said simultaneously.

She continued to stare at us. "You know, the Nevada age limit for drinking is twenty one…."

We stared at her.

After a moment, she blinked, then said, "Right…..Should've figured you wouldn't care."

"How old are you?" Taylor asked.

"Twenty one."

"Lucky, you're a year older than both of us. Though I'm older than Nicole by a few months…."

Willow and Taylor started a conversation about ages, but I drifted out of it and instead began searching for the twins energy signatures with the AllSpark. I closed my eyes and winced as what seemed like thousands of energy signatures bloomed right in my head. Slowly, I sorted through them until I found the two I was looking for, over in the far corner.

I opened my eyes and looked at Taylor and Willow. "I'm going to go see if I can find something to eat, 'kay?"They just nodded, barely glancing at me before continuing their conversation.

I transwarped (which felt really weird doing it in a dress) right to the Transformer-sized table where the twins were sitting. They both jumped in surprise at my sudden appearance and stared at me. I stared back at them. Sure, Sunny's armor always looked more than clean, and Sides at least looked better than Hound or Trailbreaker did after a patrol on a rainy day, but…. Wow. Both of them had shined their armor to the point that I could see my reflection in it. It also looked like they had both had new paint jobs, as their silver and gold colors gleamed more then ever.

"Trying to impress someone?" I asked, hands on my hips.

"Are you?" Sideswipe countered.

Sunny was still staring at me. "What the frag are you wearing?"I huffed and crossed my arms. "Oh, please. It's not that shocking I'm dressed up."

"Yes it is." They said simultaneously.

I glared, but let it drop. Back to the reason why I had come over here in the first place. "So, when are you going to make a move?"

They both jolted involuntarily, like I had slapped them, but Sunny asked, "What?"

"Don't act stupid with me, Sunstreaker." I snapped. "I know you both like Willow and Taylor. When are you going to grow up and ask them to dance?"

"We don't like them," Sideswipe said, scowling.

"That's bullshit, and you know it, Sideswipe. Both of my best friends are over there, hurting because they got all dressed up for _you_, did their best to impress _you_, all because they _like you_. And you act like you don't give a damn. Now, march your afts over there and dance with them, before I make you."

The twins stared at me in something that may have been shock.

"Today would be nice!" I snapped, pointing towards the table Willow and Taylor sat at.

Sunny and Sides got up and did as I said with out protesting. As Sideswipe passed me, he muttered, "Yes, mother."

I nearly threw one of the high heels at him, but the sight of a certain mech made me drop the high heel.

Standing in the doorway of the Rec room was Barricade, looking better than Sunstreaker and Sideswipe combined.

He fidgeted for a moment, looking nervous. I watched as Jazz bounced up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling Barricade towards me with chattering. As they got closer, I heard Jazz's babble.

"….and here she is, 'Cade, yer beautiful sparkmate." The saboteur finished, grinning.

Barricade stared at me. "Wow….You look beautiful, Nicole."

"Don't she?" Jazz bounced a little on his pedes. "All thanks ta Tay and Willie."

"Thank you, Jazz. Now if you don't mind…." Barricade trailed off, looking pointedly at the Solstice.

It was like he had never spoken. "When Willow and I was shoppin', Willie thought of pickin' out some dresses-"

"Jazz." Barricade said flatly.

"-an' she also got some make up-"

"Go away, Jazz."

"Right! Going away…" Jazz flashed one more quick smile before disappearing in the crowd.

I turned to Barricade and looked up into his cool blue optics. "So….," I said awkwardly. "Where'd you go? Mexico or something?"

Barricade smiled and moved to sit down in one of the seats that the twins had been occupying earlier. "Actually, I just drove around for awhile, trying to…well, cool off, I guess."

I frowned. "I really don't like Director Fenner."

Barricade's expression mirrored mine. "Neither do I. But don't even think for a second that what she said is true, Nicole. You're not endangering anyone anymore than Taylor is when she's shopping. And Prime knows that I can be trusted."

I stared at my high-heeled feet. "But what she said _was_ true. We all know that you've changed, but I _am_ endangering people, Barricade. The reason the 'Cons have been attacking the base so often now is because I'm here. Director Fenner has the right to take me to Diego Garcia."

There was a short pause, and then Barricade's holoform was there in front of me, his hand lifting my chin up to look him in the eyes. "That's her opinion."

"But everyone is in danger when the Decepticons attack, and they all have to go into battle because of me-"

"And I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way. Nicole, the bots and humans here do care about you. They willingly go into battle. You're not just a Host for the AllSpark, you're their friend, part of their strange family. Some bots here probably even consider you as their adopted creation. They fight for you because they care about you, and you would do the same for them, would you not?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I would."

Barricade's holoform smiled. "Good." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Now, turning to more cheerful subjects…". He stepped back a few feet and turned around slowly. "How do I look?"

Only now I noticed that my sparkmate had not only cleaned his armor, but had changed the clothes on his holoform. Now he was wearing a black dress jacket and black dress pants, a crisp white shirt, and his hair had been groomed so that it actually stayed down instead of the wild look.

I smiled and pressed my hands to my mouth, feeling the sudden urge to cry. "Oh, Barricade…..You look wonderful."

"I could say the same for you." His arms slid around my waist. "I'm glad you like it."

I bit my lip, still smiling. "There's just one thing…..". I reached up and messed his black hair up until it had that wild look again. "There, perfect."

He snorted. "Thanks."

"Your very welcome." I smirked, then stood on my toes to give him a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Barricade smiled wider, and I felt nervousness and love filter through the bond. "I didn't just drive around, you know."

"Oh?" I asked, one of my eyebrows raised.

"Yeah…I actually….sort of…..got you something…," Barricade trailed off, looking more than a little nervous and afraid. "Um…well, here, just look."

His holoform suddenly disappeared, and his optics relit. He opened his subspace and took out a plastic bag and dropped it on the table. Then his optics went dark again as his holoform reappeared beside the bag. Barricade reached in the bag and took out something small, but hid it behind his back so I couldn't see what it was. He smiled. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

I did as he said, and two seconds later, I felt something soft pressed into my open hands and a kiss placed on my lips. "You can look now." I heard Barricade's voice say into my ear.

Smiling, I opened my eyes. A small black velvet box sat in my palm. Hands shaking, I opened it and gasped.

Sitting on a cushion of white silk was a silver ring, with a small but bright blue sapphire embedded in the band.

"It's beautiful, Barricade." I whispered, my voice hoarse. "Thank you."

"Hey, now. No crying." He said softly, reaching up to wipe away a tear I hadn't even known was there.

I laughed, but I reached up and wiped my eyes. "Good thing the make up is water proof, huh?"

Instead of replying, he took the box from my hands and carefully pulled the ring from the box. Barricade gently grabbed my left hand as if it was made of glass and slipped the silver band on my ring finger.

I took a deep breath to avoid sobbing as different emotions hit me. "It's so beautiful."

"Especially on you." Barricade whispered. He kissed the ring that was now where a wedding ring would be on my left hand.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and just pulled him into a crushing hug. For a moment, it was just me and Barricade in the universe. All of my troubles were far behind. The death, sorrow, grief, pain, hate, and depression was wiped away. I was in Barricade's arms, the one place I truly felt safe in the universe, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I was so swept away in love that if you had told me there was a time I had been sad, depressed, worried, or in pain, I wouldn't have believed you.

Because Barricade made the world seem perfect, something that would never be true.

"Promise me something, Nicole."

Barricade's voice pulled me back to reality, and as it came crashing in, I wanted so badly to just cry until it came back.

Instead, I said, "I'll promise you anything."

Still holding me in the warm embrace, Barricade whispered, "Promise you won't ever leave me."

Unconsciously, my arms tightened around my sparkmate. Oh, how badly I wanted then to just _scream_. Scream at the unfairness of it all, the irony, the pain, the sorrow, the _knowing_. The knowing that I couldn't keep that promise, because I would die, and Barricade would be left alone in the world. He was asking me the one thing I couldn't promise, and it was tearing me apart, inside and out.

I was so glad Barricade couldn't see my face. If he had, he would've seen the pain I was going through and instantly have been worried because he cared about me.

Why did he have to care _so fragging much?_

"Nicole?" Barricade's voice, full of caring and worry, cut through my dark thoughts like an Energon blade.

My arms still around him, fists clenching and crumpling his jacket, I said, "I promise, Barricade."

"Good." He said softly.

My heart tore in two.

_That was not a promise to make, youngling._

'Cade pulled back, smiling. "Do you want to dance?"

I smiled a little. "Sure, 'Cade."

* * *

Barricade and I had just came off the dance floor and sat back down at the empty table in the corner. I was still admiring the silver band that seemed to almost glow in the dark room when Jazz bounded up, pulling Prowl behind him.

"Heya, Nicki, 'Cadey!" Jazz said happily. The way his visor glowed made me wonder if he had maybe a little too much high grade. "We aren't interruptin' anythin', are we?"

I smiled and said, "No…..But you missed something earlier when Barricade practically proposed to me." I held my left hand out to show him the ring. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"That's just fragging great…..". Prowl slurred. Only now did I look closer and see that his optics were even shinier than Jazz's. He swayed a little unsteadily on his pedes, and I suddenly had a very bad feeling that I should be worried about how much high grade _Prowl_ had drank, not Jazz.

Jazz pumped his fist in the air. "I knew it! So tha's what ya were gettin' when I talked ta ya earlier-"

"Jazz." Barricade said threateningly. "Remember what I said earlier? About _not telling her?_"

Prowl grumbled, then hiccupped. "First you bonded without telling us…," His doorwings fluttered lazily, "and now you've practically married her in human terms. Next thing you know, there'll be sparklings running around."

Both Barricade and I froze at that, but Jazz giggled and pulled his taller bondmates chevron down so he could plant a kiss on his faceplates. Prowl smiled and _purred_, seemingly forgetting what he had been grumbling about two seconds before. "Prowlie, yer too funny!"

"I don't think he was joking." Barricade rumbled darkly from behind me. I snorted quietly in agreement.

Jazz leaned down to me and stage-whispered, "See, Nicki? I got 'im over energized! Ain't he cute?"

I stared at him. "Jazz, I'm pretty sure the only being in this room who thinks Prowl is cute like that is you. The rest of us think it's just plain scary."

Jazz either didn't hear me or just flat out ignored me. "Anyways, I won!"

"Won?" Barricade repeated.

"Won?" Prowl echoed, a hazy look in his optics. "I swear, Jazz, if you messed with the lottery system-"

"Wait, wait, how come Prowl sounds like regular old Prowl if he's over energized?" I asked, hoping to make a last ditch attempt to not lose to Jazz.

Jazz smiled sheepishly. "He's been over energized fer a while now…..and it sorta startin' ta wear off….."

"Just how long?"

"Five hours…Give or take a few."

I stared at him. "What the frag has he been doing this whole time then?"

"I don't think ya really want ta know, Nicki, but if ya want I can go show ya his desk-"

I slapped my hands over my ears. "Oh God, that was something I _so _did _not _want to hear!"

Jazz glared at me, his arms crossed, and Prowl flopped down in the chair next to Barricade and muttered, "Fraggit, my helm hurts…" Before promptly passing out leaning on my spark mate's shoulder.

I snorted and Jazz frowned at his bonded. "Slagger passed out on me."

Barricade glared at both of us, but didn't look very threatening with a snoozing tactician leaning on his shoulder. "What the frag are you talking about?"

I sighed. "Earlier, Jazz and I made a bet. Jazz bet that he could get Prowl over energized, and I bet that he couldn't. If I won, Jazz would've had to give me his iPod for a week and paint himself neon pink. If Jazz won, I would have to wear roller skates for a week and sing."

"An' I won!" The saboteur said, looking smug. "As ya can see." He nodded at the passed out Prowl. Then he leaned down to me. "Nicki, I always win." As if to prove his point, he tapped me on the head.

I flipped him off.

He snickered, before taking something from his subspace. It was only when he dropped them in front of me did I realize that it was roller skates. And they were painted pink.

Jazz turned on his holoform and pulled his iPod out of one of the roller skates. "Now, let's just set this thing on Shuffle and while I'm doin' tha' ya can start puttin' the skates on. I painted them specially for ya."

I flicked his holoform's head before sitting down on the surface of the table and taking off the borrowed high heels. Inside one of the roller skates was a pair of my socks. "You went through my clothes." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yep." Jazz said, not looking up from his iPod.

I sighed and put the skates on. They actually fit pretty good. "This is going to be hard to do in a dress." Barricade let me grab one of his claws so I could stand up with out falling over. My legs felt wobbly and I tried scooting forward. Which resulted in me almost falling on my butt.

Did I mention how hard it was going to be in a dress?

* * *

Jazz dropped the microphone in my hands. "You're up, Nicki!"

I was too nervous to glare at him. The Solstice had dropped me on the platform where Blaster was working his magic with the speakers and lights in the room. Barricade had opted to stay and watch from the table (it wasn't like he had much of a choice; Prowl had latched onto his arm with one hellova grip and not let go). The song that had been chosen was Fences, by Paramore ("This song is going to make me sound like I'm crazy." "But, Nicki, I thought ya _were _crazy.") I kept fidgeting in my dress, twisting the hem of it in my fingers and trying to keep my balance in the roller skates.

From where I stood, I could see that the twins had followed my advice (okay, so I _threatened_ them) and turned on their holoforms. Sideswipe was dancing with Willow and Sunstreaker with Taylor. Both of my human friends looked very happy.

"You ready, Nicki?" Blaster asked me.

I turned and nodded at him. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He smiled and turned his microphone on, at the same time turning the music off. "Ladies and gentlemen, femmes and mechs, would you please turn your attention to the front, for a little performance by the wonderful Nicole Witwicky."

Every optic and eye turned towards me, and my breathing hitched. My palms were suddenly feeling very sweaty, and the mystery fever I had had all day suddenly sky rocketed to an all time high. At the moment, I wanted to just drop through the floor, or be invisible at least-

A little shock went through me, and all of the hairs on my arms stood up. I blinked, then looked down at my arms-

Only problem with that was that I couldn't see my arms. Just a microphone hanging in mid air.

_What the-_

Several things happened at once.

A human woman screamed. Everyone started shouting. Barricade was suddenly standing right in front of me, and was looking very panicked. Blaster was still staring at me…..or, where I had been. Jazz pushed his way through the crowd and up to the platform. "What the frag just happened?"

"Where is she would be a better question!" Barricade snapped, starting to run his servos over the platform.

I had to jump back as Barricade's servo went right over the spot I had just been in. "Hey, man!" I shouted. "I'm still here!"

Since I was still holding the microphone, the sound echoed through the room. Everyone seemed to freeze at the sound of my voice. Then Jazz asked, "Nicole?"

"Who do you think, dumb-aft?" I said angrily, waving the microphone around. "I'm right here!"

"We can't _see_ you, though." Blaster said.

I looked down at where my body had been, and using my invisible hand, I poked my invisible stomach. "Neither can I. But my body's still here…."

Suddenly Mirage appeared right beside the platform, dropping his cloak.

"It's a new power. Invisibility."

* * *

Me: Well, howdy-do, to all my wonderful readers!

Abusive Me: I hate you all.

Me: Don't pay attention to her. It's that time of the month for her.

Abusive Me: *snarls and stalks away, thinking up more ways to kill me slowly and painfully*

Me: Where was I? Oh, yes. Well, it's been a wonderful weekend, with me being in Mississippi on a special trip to visit family, and as I type this we are on our way back to my home state in my car. It's also raining, but I like rain, so it doesn't bother me much.

Random Me: AHHHHH! HELP! I'M MELTING! NOOOOO!

Liar Me: It's Opposite Day.

Random Me: I'M NOT MELTING- Wait, you lie…..so that means it's not Opposite Day. But if it's Opposite Day that means you don't lie, which would mean it's Opposite Day. Okay, I get it now. Returning to theatrical scene…..I'M NOT MELTING!

Me: Okay…..that gave me a head ache.….Back to author note. When I was writing the Barricade/Nicole moment, I cried. To me, that was the best part of the chapter. I don't know why I cried, really…..Guess it was just an emotional moment or something. Over all, I really thought this chapter turned out great. By far one of my favorites…..

**NEXT CHAPTER: **PROWL HAS A TALK WITH NICOLE ABOUT THE RING AND WITH HOLDING CERTAIN INFORMATION. WHEELJACK AND PERCEPTOR TRY OUT THEIR ANTI-GRAVITY THING…WITH NICOLE. AND SHE'S STILL WEARING ROLLER SKATES.


	20. Today, Tomorrow, Forever

Chapter 20:

Nicole POV

"Okay…..So you now have the ability to turn invisible?"

"No, I'm just a ghost that sounds like the real Nicole. What do you think, Prowl?"

It was an hour after the little fiasco in the Rec room during the party. After Mirage's obvious-but-correct observation, everyone had calmed down to some extent and the party had resumed…..sort of. I was still invisible, and couldn't figure out how to change back to visible(much to the twins' amusement). Prowl had woken up because of the ruckus in the Rec room, and, after he had regained some sense of the real world (in other words, he had sobered some), . Apparently he had to fill out a report about what had happened. Barricade was sitting quietly in one of the chairs behind me, Hound was standing off to the side, Mirage was…somewhere, in the room. And I was sitting as best as I could in a dress on Prowl's desk. Still invisible. Wearing roller skates.

Did I mention how strange it is to be in a dress, invisible, _and_ wearing roller skates at the same time?

Prowl rubbed his helm tiredly, optics dim. "Honestly? I'm thinking about just letting Wheeljack and Perceptor poke at you while I get a good recharge and rest. My fragging helm hurts because of a certain saboteur." That last part was said rather loudly, so that said saboteur leaning against the door outside could hear it.

A low whine was the response from Jazz. Prowl, it seemed, was the only bot in existence that could lock a door against the infamous Jazz.

Prowl scowled at the datapad in front of him, like it would disappear if he glared hard enough. "Primus, can't this wait till the morning?"

Barricade growled lowly behind me. "I'd like it if I could actually _see _my sparkmate first." Then he glanced at Hound. "How the frag do you deal with it?"

Hound shrugged. "You'll get used to it? ….Sooner or later?" He said uncertainly.

"Uhh, hello?" I asked, waving my arms, before I realized they couldn't see me. "As much as I agree to a good night's sleep, I'd like to be able to see myself, too, you know. How the frag am I supposed to eat like this?"

"We could always dump paint on ya." Jazz said ever helpfully from behind the door.

"Shut up, Jazz." Barricade and I snapped simultaneously.

I heard a sigh, and then Mirage appeared standing right behind Barricade, which made my poor sparkmate jump a foot in the air. "Since you don't have a cloaking device _installed _in you, the best advice I can give you is just imagine you can see yourself."

"Oh, that's helpful. Look, I'm imagining I can see my arm. Oh, wait, I _still _can't see my arm, and neither can you."

"At least try it, Nicole." Prowl sighed tiredly.

"Fine." I grumbled. I held my invisible arm out and stared at where I thought it was, imagining my arm visible again. After a few moments of suspenseful waiting, I almost gave up until I felt a tingle go through me. Then my arm faded back into sight. "Thank God." I muttered.

"Nicole, your left foot is still invisible."

"Oh. Thanks, 'Cade." Then I looked up to Mirage, only to see that he was invisible again. "Thanks, Mirage…Wherever you are." That last part was muttered, looking around the room.

The door swished open, and Jazz fell inside, looking surprised before grinning sheepish. "I'm glad to have been a service," Mirage's voice trailed down the hall.

Hound waved goodbye to us and stepped over Jazz, who was trying to stealthily creep into the room on his servos and knees. Prowl gave him a pointed glare and the saboteur smiled sheepishly again before backing out slowly…..still on his servos and knees.

Once the door had slid shut again, Prowl looked at me with a piercing gaze that made it hard to believe that just an hour before he had been over energized. "Any other things that need to be brought to attention that might concern the AllSpark? Development of any new abilities or signs of any?"

I wondered if Prowl could read minds.

"Um….."

"Oh, Primus…..," Prowl muttered dropped his helm into his servos. "How long, how many, and why haven't you told us?"

"How long? Well, I started feeling real weird this morning when Mirage found me in the cafeteria-"

"Weird, as in how?" Barricade asked.

"Like I had a fever. And the fact that I was the only one who could feel it was pretty strange, too. Then when we were on the way back to the Med Bay, I listened in on Mirage's comm link while he was talking to Jazz."

Prowl was scribbling furiously on the datapad. "And how did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I just wished I was able to listen in, and then I could hear every word they were saying."

"Have you tried reading processors?"

"No."

Prowl stopped writing and stared at me. "Okay, what am I thinking right now?"

I hesitated for a second, then jokingly said, "You're thinking that I can be an idiot and really immature sometimes and that you wish I would leave already."

"That's _exactly _what I'm thinking."

There was silence for a moment. Then, "Prowl, I was kidding."

"…Oh."

Jazz snickered outside the door. "Someone's predictable."

Prowl glared at the door, but looked back to me. "Okay, well, you can't try to read Barricade, as he's your bondmate, and apparently I'm too _predictable_," another glare at the door, "so what is Jazz thinking?"

I sighed tiredly. "I don't know, Prowl, okay?"

"_Try._"

"Prowl, maybe your pushing her too hard." Barricade said.

I sighed again. "It's okay, 'Cade. Jazz, whatever you're thinking, well, think it." Skating over to the edge of Prowl's desk that was closest to Barricade, I sat down with my legs hanging over the side. I closed my eyes to help my concentration. First, I blocked out all the sounds of the mechs systems, then focused on the presence outside the door that was Jazz. Gently, I pushed my way in.

There were layers, the AllSpark told me. Four of them. The first was emotions and feelings, the most open part of a bot or human, even. Jazz was feeling love for Prowl right now, excitement, energetic, care for me and several others, and happiness. But, there was also sadness, grief, anger. With a pang of sorrow, I realized something then. No matter what was going on at the moment, or how happy someone was, this war left scars that never went away. The feelings of grief over losing friends, anger at the unfairness of so many innocent lives lost, sadness of losing something precious never left. They never would, and that fact by itself was enough to make me feel remorse.

Swallowing, I pushed in further. The second layer was the personality. What made the bot or person who they were, what dictated their decisions, what aspects affected their thoughts. Jazz's personality was a big fast whirlwind full of color. His likes, his dislikes, fears, and memories. Flashes of loose, open, meaningless memories flitted around me, and I didn't dwell on what they showed. I wasn't here to pry into one of my closest friend's memories.

I pushed ahead, and met a solid firewall of resistance. I poked it with my mind, gently at first, then added a little pressure behind it.

A pang of hot pain washed over me as I was pushed out brutally and quickly. I gasped, holding my head in my hands. That _hurt._

Through the haze of pain, I vaguely heard Barricade get mad, and Prowl telling Jazz that he was pushing me out. I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes. The light in the room seemed a lot brighter now. Jazz had come in and was standing beside the desk now, watching me worriedly. "Frag, Nicki, I'm sorry."

I waved the apology away, wincing. "It's nothing, Jazz. I was going too fast."

Barricade turned his holoform on and knelt next to me, brushing some bangs back from my face. "Nicole, it's been fifteen minutes since you started."

"What?" I asked, surprised. "It's only felt like two minutes!"

Prowl was frowning, looking almost guilty. "We can finish this tomorrow if you want-"

"No, I want to finish this now." I said. Then I looked at Jazz. "If you'll let me."

Jazz nodded. "Yeah, ya can. I reacted on instinct. Felt almost like Sou-". He abruptly stopped.

'_Soundwave.'_ I finished in my head.

An awkward silence hung in the room.

I sighed shakily. "Okay, this time, no matter what happens, don't interrupt me or touch me." I looked at Jazz. "Just relax, and focus on one thought. Ready?"

He nodded.

"Okay." I took another deep breath and closed my eyes. This time I tried to rush through the process, but at the same time I was careful not to do anything that might cause Jazz to push me out again.

When I reached the wall that blocked the third layer, I brushed against it. _'Relax, Jazz. Just let me in. I promise I won't do anything.'_

Jazz's presence shifted in surprise at hearing my voice, and after a moment, he thought, _'I know ya won't, Nicki.'_

Then the firewalls slowly fell down.

I went into the third layer of Jazz's processor.

And was almost knocked out just by the blunt force of open thoughts.

This layer was crazier than the second. It was entirely made of thoughts. They knocked together, pushed me and pulled me, like a wild river. It was almost like being back in the room I had first met Jazz in, the one with the moving symbols all over the walls. Except these weren't symbols; they were thoughts. Jazz's thoughts. The best way to describe it was a channel. Jazz's train of thought would be going one way, then another way. One never ending string of thoughts.

At the moment, there was thought that kept repeating itself.

'_,babygirl.' _

Unconsciously, I smiled. _'Thanks, Jazz.'_

'_Anytime.'_

I pulled out, not even bothering to go further towards the fourth and final layer. That layer was the spark, the one that included the bond with your bondmate, creators, or siblings. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have gone into that layer. Some things are even beyond the AllSpark. Breaking into a bond is one of those things.

I opened my eyes. Prowl and Barricade were staring at me intently, the tactician having around the desk to kneel in front of me. Behind them was Jazz, smiling gently. I smiled at the Solstice, and he flashed one side of his visor, the equivalent of a wink.

Looking back to Barricade and Prowl, I grinned. "Well, good news, Jazz _does_ have a processor."

They both smiled, and Prowl stood up. "I could have told you that."

"So how long was it that time?" I asked.

"Seven minutes." Barricade said. His holoform appeared next to me again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. More than okay."

While Barricade's holoform helped me stand up in the skates, Prowl asked, "So did it work?"

"Yeah," Jazz answered for me. "It worked alright. Heard Nicki talkin' in my head."

"Okay, now that that is settled….." Prowl moved back behind his desk and picked the datapad back up. "That was the only new ability?"

"No. There's one more." I said, fiddling with the shard hanging around my throat.

"Well, what is it?"

I held my hands out, willing the same force field I had conjured up during the last battle to protect Prowl to appear again. This time, instead of being a wall of blue light, it was a full dome that surrounded me. I looked up at Prowl, feeling a little smug. "That."

"A force field." Barricade muttered to himself.

Jazz leaned forward and poked my little blue dome, much to my annoyance. "The term 'personal bubble' has a whole new meanin', now."

"When did you gain the ability to make force fields?" Prowl asked, again writing something on the datapad.

"During the last battle." I fought to keep down a shudder. The last battle was not something pleasant to think about. "After that Decepticon shot you through the doorwing, he was about to-" I hesitated, not wanting to say the words '_kill you'_ , "-to shoot you again, but I saw and on instinct transwarped in front of you. I didn't even have to think about, really. It just appeared. The force field wasn't very strong and the blast burned my hands, but it worked, as you can see."

Prowl had stopped his writing to stare at me. "That was _you?_"

"Yeah, why?"

Prowl looked shaken up. "I thought that someone else had shot him. It hurt so much I wasn't really paying attention to anything else. I had no idea that-that _you_-" Prowl stopped and shuddered. He leaned forward until he was looking in my eyes. "As much as I am thankful to you for saving my life, please don't _ever_ do that again. If you had died-"

I gave him a hard glare. "You would die for me, and I would do the same. Just because I am smaller and weaker doesn't mean I'm afraid to protect my family."

"I never said you were weak-"

"I know, but you don't have to say it. I know I am and I'm perfectly fine with it."

The tactician studied me for a second, almost like searching for something, before shaking his helm and smiling. "Such bravery is foolish."

"But effective." I countered. Clearing my throat, I said, "That was the last one. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to sleep. There's been enough excitement today to last for a life time."

_And I have a feeling it's not over. _I added as an afterthought.

* * *

Barricade watched me carefully as I skated ahead of him. "So you have to wear those for a week straight?"

"Yep." I looked down at my pink skates. "The only time I don't have to wear them is when I go to sleep or take a shower. But I think I'm getting the hang of 'em."

Karma decided to have a laugh and as soon as I said that, I nearly fell backwards.

My spark mate's holoform caught my arm just in time and shook his head. "What would you do without me?"

"Hmmm." I pretended to give it some thought. "Probably do something stupid and end up getting myself killed."

"Probably."

"Aft, you weren't supposed to _agree._"

"Even though it's right?"

"_Yes._"

As soon as he was sure I would fall over again, Barricade turned off his holoform and stopped next to me. I started skating circles around him. He watched me for a few moments before asking, "Sure you don't want me to carry you?"

"Perfectly sure." I paused as I started another circle around him. "Did I mention how _breezy _this feels?"

Barricade snorted and shook his helm. "I swear you have ADD."

"I can at least carry a two minute conversation, unlike Jazz or Willow."

The Mustang hmmed, seemingly lost in thought. After another few minutes of walking towards our quarters, he said quietly, "Did you see the look on Jazz's faceplates when we left?"

I looked up at him curiously, skating so that I matched his pace. "No, but he was real quiet. Why?"

Barricade's cerulean optics dimmed briefly, before blazing brightly. "He looked…..I don't know what the word is, but the closest thing I can say is disturbed."

"Disturbed?"

"Yeah. Do you think it was because of the last battle? Because of what happened?"

I turned so that I was skating backwards so I could face him. "You mean Prowl almost getting slagged for good? Yeah, that was definitely why. The last battle isn't exactly a good memory for Jazz."

"Since when is any battle good for anybody?" Barricade asked darkly.

"Well, we won, and no one died-"

"You almost did." The Mustang said sharply, looking at me with a harsh glare. "You almost died. Prowl almost did. Bumblebee got himself royally slagged. And others did, too."

"Barricade, dying is part of life. I'm going to die one day." It was out of my mouth before I even thought of saying it, and it shocked me.

Before I could even think, my sparkmate had turned on his holoform and appeared in front of me, grabbing my shoulders. His blue eyes blazed brighter with distress and he looked almost desperate. "Nicole, please, please, _please_, don't ever say that!"

I stared at him in shock. "But-"

Barricade shook me gently. "Stop. Just please _stop._"

I saw how desperate my beloved mech was. I saw the fear. I saw the pain. I saw it all in his eyes. So I shoved what I had been going to say back down my throat and sighed. "Fine, I'll drop it."

Barricade looked so relieved that it scared me_._

* * *

The next morning - noon, actually; I had slept in late - I woke up to an empty room. After an awkward silence on the way back, Barricade had told me that Prowl had actually included him in the duty roster. And he had first shift on monitor duty. So it wasn't a surprise that I woke up by myself. A small part of me was sort of glad. It gave me time to think over what had happened. My sparkmate was apparently more afraid of losing me than I thought. Half of me was glad, the other…not so much.

If it scared Barricade that much with me just mentioning, I couldn't help but cringe at how he would react when I really was dead.

It made me angry. Why, why, why was everything so difficult? Why couldn't things be easy? Why couldn't something go right? The question of 'why' kept echoing through my head.

In the end, I tore the necklace off my neck and threw it at the wall with as much force as I had. I shouted several obscenities at the AllSpark in my mind. I even punched the wall. (Which, by the way, didn't hurt the wall, but bruised my knuckles! Oh, _joy_.)

I kept the necklace off until I began to feel sick. When it was resting on my neck again, I still felt sick. It no longer offered comfort. Now it only was a reminder to the death sentence that had been given to me.

Since when had life gotten so dark?

Just as I walked out of our quarters, I felt the tell-tale slight shaking of the ground that meant a Transformer was nearby. I stopped and waited until I saw Prowl walk around the corner, reading a datapad.

I watched Prowl walk by, not so much as even glancing at me. I cleared my throat. "Uh, Prowl?"

The tactician stopped in mid-step, surprised, and looked around. Then he looked down at me with surprise. "My apologies, Nicole. I didn't even realize I was here already."

_Already?_ "Yeah, well, you looked pretty caught up in whatever you were reading."

He glanced at the datapad with disdain. "Mudflap and Skids had too much high grade last night and decided it would be amusing to do rig the energon dispenser after we left the party. It…..short circuited and caused a mini explosion, covering several bots in Energon. Mainly Tracks, Ironhide, and Red Alert. It ended in a scuffle and the twins taking a trip to Ratchet's Med Bay. And Red Alert fritzed."

I tried very hard not to laugh, and instead said, "Were you coming to see me?"

Prowl nodded. "Yes. I'm guessing Barricade is already on shift?"

"Yep."

He nodded again. "Good. I came here to tell you that Ratchet has cleared you, so, in his words, 'Stop jumping in front of cannon fire and almost getting yourself fragging killed'. I agree."

I crossed my arms, scowling. "I don't 'jump in front of cannon fire', it's just that I have really bad luck and the 'Cons always decide to have target practice when I'm nearby."

The Charger snorted. "Maybe." Then he paused, looking back at the datapad. Not looking up, he said, "By the way, Wheeljack and Perceptor still need to try out that anti-gravity generator."

I perked up. "Really? Where are they?"

"Outside in the back of the base. I'm headed there now, if you want to go with me."

"Sure." I saved Prowl the trouble of bending down and just transwarped to his shoulder. "Did I show you my ring last night?"

Prowl frowned a little, but said, "If you did, I don't remember, because I was…over energized."

_Drunk, in other words._ I added in my head. "Look, isn't it beautiful?" I held my left hand out for him to see, and the tactician did look, sighing a little. I frowned. "What's wrong?"

Prowl shook his helm. "Nothing. It is beautiful, Nicole. I'm happy for you."

"But?"

"But…. Well, it seems as though you've grown up too fast. It's easier to forget that you're bonded when it is without the ring, but now there is a constant reminder on your hand that you're not… a child anymore."

I stared at my feet as Prowl walked, thinking over his words. "So, in other words, you're saying that you're sad because I'm all grown up?"

"Yes. I mean, I'm happy that you're experiencing the same love that I have for Jazz, but it shows that you've grown up, and you can take care of yourself now. I watched your progress as you grew up, Nicole, even after Sam and Mikaela died. I cannot help but feel as though you are my daughter and be sad that you've grown up. Is that bad?"

I shook my head, smiling a little. "No, Prowl. It's not. It's just what any good creator would do." He nodded, smiling, and we continued to walk towards the back of the base where Wheeljack and Perceptor would be with their doohickey.

But, like every time I allowed myself one moment to relax, something had to ruin it. And this time it was a question. One that I hated to ask, but just _had _to ask.

"Prowl, do you wish the war had never happened?"

The SIC halted in mid step. "…What?"

I swallowed, a bit shocked my own question. "Do you wish that the war had never happened?"

For a long time he didn't answer. When we arrived at the door that lead outside to where Wheeljack and Perceptor were, I thought he just wouldn't answer at all. Prowl set me on the ground, and I started to go out the door, but he stopped me.

I turned to look at him. Prowl hesitated, for the first time since I had met him looking uncertain, but said, "No."

* * *

"Nicole, did you hear me?"

I jumped, pulled from my brooding over Prowl's answer by Perceptor. "No, I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

The two scientists had already showed me their anti-gravity generator. It was made of what looked like solar panels put together and connected by wiring and circuitry. Running from it were three cables-red, black, and yellow-hooked up to what looked like a really, really big generator. And _that _had an extension cord running in the base, to an outlet. (Who knew an anti gravity invention designed by alien robots would be powered by an outlet that I used to charge my phone?)

The panel was ten by ten feet. I could why they had need something small to test it on.

"I was saying that if you have any metal objects on you, you might want to remove them. We don't know what the reverse affect of the gravity will do to metal, such as jewelry."

"What about the AllSpark shard?"

"I don't think it should affect it."

I knew better than to open my mouth and ask another question that would lead to a long lecture, so I just did as he said and took off my silver bead earrings and ring that Barricade had given me. The sun was shining, and there was only a gentle breeze today, so I took off my jacket off and put the jewelry in the pocket before setting it on the ground.

" 'Kay, so now what?"

Wheeljack piped up from where he was tinkering with the giant generator, earfins flashing merrily. "Just step up on the panel."

"Just…step on it."

"Yep."

"Just...walk on it. That's all I do?"

"Uh-huh."

"…Okay." I stepped on the panel, and looked down at the reflective surface only to wince and look away as the sun shined back in my eyes. My converses looked really strange on the panels. "Now what?"

"Just wait." Both Wheeljack and Perceptor went and crouched down behind a blockade. I eyed said blockade warily. "This thing isn't going to blow up, is it?"

Wheeljack looked as offended as he could with a face mask. "Of course not." I heard Perceptor whisper quietly, "That's what you said last time, and it blew up."

"Well, don't tell _her _that!" Wheeljack whispered back.

I glared at both of them. "I can _hear _you. Wheeljack, if this blows up with me on it, I'm going to-"

"O-kay, Nicole! You ready?" The engineer cut me off hastily, earfins flashing.

"I guess." I muttered, again staring down at my converses.

"Right… 3...2...1!"

He pressed a button on a hand held remote. For a moment nothing happened; then the generator started shaking, and spit out a black cloud of exhaust with a loud bang. I flinched, and Perceptor and Wheeljack ducked down behind the blockade.

It let out another bang, before the rhythm of the machine settled out to a steady hum. Suddenly the air around me felt charged, and the hairs on my arms stood up as an electric current passed through the air.

I grumbled, trying to keep my hair from turning into a staticky mess. "This better not give me an afro- Eeep!"

I squeaked as I suddenly felt weightless. My shoes lifted off the panels and it took a full ten seconds to realize, _Holy crap, I'm floating._

My balance decided to take a hike, and I slowly leaned until I was floating horizontally. My arms waved around wildly, trying to regain some, if not _all_ control of gravity.

Behind the blockade, Wheeljack and Perceptor were happily rejoicing in the fact that it actually worked and hadn't exploded. Yet. I waved at them, now upside down five feet in the air. "Uh, hello? Just the guinea pig your using to test this thing out wanting to know how the hell to get down!"

"We haven't taken notes yet, so you'll just have to stay up there for a little longer, Nicole." As Perceptor said this, I felt a tingling sensation go through me as he scanned me.

"Notes? You've got to be kidding! Look, I'm five-no, ten now-feet in the air! What else do you want to know?"

"Your blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature. How do you feel?"

"How do I feel- 'Jack, Percy, you've got to be joking. You want to know how I feel? I thought this was science, not one of Ratchet's check ups!"

"Ratchet's check ups include cursing, flying wrenches, sustaining damage from the medic himself to the helm, verbal abuse, and threats. There is none of that here, so this is not like one of Ratchet's check ups." Wheeljack said, looking at some small screen that held the measurements of the settings of the generator.

I glared at him, now upright again, with my arms crossed, but the wind blew harder and my hair whipped in front of me. I quickly spit it out and tied it back in loose ponytail. I was about to snap something back…when I looked down.

I was now 20 feet in the air, and still rising. Sure, I had been sitting higher on the Autobots shoulders before, but there wasn't _anything _holding me up or nothing beneath me. Which can be…disconcerting. Or freaky, for use of a better word.

"Uhh, Wheeljack? What happens if I float off the panel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, if I float out of the panel edges, where there's only ground beneath me?"

"You plunge to your death. Why?"

"Because I'm about to float off! Hurry up and get me down!"

Both scientists jumped into action, trying to figure out how they could get me to float down _slowly_. I watched as the edge of the panel got closer. Acting on instinct, I trying to claw at the air, only to be reminded of the fact that air was in fact a gas, not a solid.

"I got it!" Perceptor exclaimed.

And suddenly…..I wasn't weightless anymore.

I was fairly sure I was too shocked to scream as I fell. I closed my eyes and thought, _If this kills me, I'm going to haunt Perceptor's and Wheeljack's afts for life._

But instead I landed on hard metal with a loud bang. Someone had caught me. (Damn, my back was going to hurt in the morning…..)

I opened one of my eyes to see Wheeljack's relieved faceplates. Opening the other eye, I glared at him. "You _so _owe me."

* * *

I plopped down on the couch in the Rec room with my bag of Cheeto Puffs, sighing. "_God, _doing stuff like that is so not good for my health."

"What stuff?"

I jumped at Bumblebee's voice. As tired as I was, I hadn't even noticed the yellow and black scout sitting at one of the Transformer tables. "Ummm…. Nothing?"

He snorted, then pointed at the huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall. Playing on it was a video of what had happened with the anti gravity generator. At one part it zoomed in on my face. To put it simple, I looked scared out of my wits.

I glowed darkly at the screen. "Twins?"

"Yep."

"There will be murder." My gaze slid back to my Cheetos. "Later."

Bumblebee laughed and sipped some of his Energon. "May I see the ring?"

I nodded with my mouth full and pulled the silver band off gently and held it out to him as he turned on his holoform. He examined it carefully, moving my outstretched legs and sitting down at the end of the couch. I just put my legs back in his lap.

Bumblebee shot me an irritated glance, but looked back to the ring. After another few moments, he said softly, "It's beautiful."

I nodded, feeling a little proud of it. "Everyone says so."

"It was nice of him." He handed me back the ring and watched as I put it back on my left ring finger. The Camaro paused, then asked, "Do you know what happened to Sam and Mikaela's wedding rings?"

I froze, nearly choking at the unexpected question. Slowly, I shook my head and said quietly, "No."

Bumblebee smiled sadly. "They were melted in the fire."

A lump formed in my throat, and suddenly the Cheetos didn't seem so appealing. "Oh."

/Nicole?/

Barricade. I cleared my throat aloud, then said through the bond, /Yeah?/

/Is something wrong? You feel…..sad./

/No, babe. I'm alright./

/You don't feel like it./

I hesitated, unsure what to say. Then, /When do you get off your shift?/

/45 minutes. Why?/

/How about you meet me in our quarters after that? I'd like to spend some time besides sleep with you./

/I agree. Now that I'm working shifts I won't be able to see you as much./

/So meet me in 45 minutes?/

/Sure. I love you./

/Love you, too, 'Cade./

When my attention returned back to Bumblebee, he was watching me with a knowing look. "Talking over the bond?" When I nodded, he asked, "What's it like? Having the bond?"

Twisted the ring around my finger, I tilted my head thoughtfully. "I don't know how to explain it, really. It's like…..having your mind connected with someone else. You can hear their thoughts, emotions, and share memories if they let you. You can talk through it, too. And you can entirely block them out, if you want. It's the same way with sibling and creator bonds." I looked up to meet the Camaro's gaze. "Why?"

Bumblebee's holoform turned slightly red (_Blushing, _I realized) and he stammered. "Er, umm….Nothing. Just curious."

"Uh-huh."

"No, really! I am!"

I just nodded, before leaning forward until I was in his personal space. "So, 'Bee, talk to _Arcee_ lately?"

His expression was definitely worth it.

* * *

I stirred the coffee slowly, watching the creamer dissolve.

I know what you're thinking. Coffee at 3:15 in the afternoon? Well, past experiences told me that anytime is a good time for a good cup of coffee. It tends to be a major stress reliever, and it was free, so why not?

….Okay, so I did have to break the lock on the break room on the far side of the base that I had just recently discovered. Did it still count as free?

Apparently this coffee was for people from the government visiting the base. Why not let the soldiers have coffee, too? I mean, it get them all hyped up to shoot some 'Cons helms off and alert and-

Wait, caffeine in trigger happy soldiers? Okay, maybe that _wasn't_ such a great idea.

The door to the break room opening brought me out of my coffee musing. I turned, ready to spit out an excuse for being someplace I shouldn't have-

Only to drop my coffee when I saw who it was.

Director Fenner with her _I'm-better-than-you-and-you-know-it_ attitude.

She glared at me. I stared at her. I snapped out of it when she said, "Are you going to clean this mess up or not?"

I shot a heated glare at her but grabbed a paper towel anyways and started to clean it up. The whole time she watched me with icy blue eyes. It took me five paper towels, but when it was done my hands were covered in coffee. I shook my hands through the air, stepping closer to Director Fenner so that drops landed on her spotless dark blue dress suit.

She looked like she had a bad taste in her mouth as she wiped at the spots where the drops had landed. "You do not have authorization to be here."

I stuck my hands in the sink and started to get the coffee off my hands. "Do you see any file cabinets in here labeled 'Top Secret'? Any jars containing weird body parts floating in strange liquids? A big red button labeled 'Do not push'? I didn't think so. It's a break room - with coffee no less. I'm not doing any harm."

"That does not mean you can break into rooms that you are not authorized to be in."

I shut the sink off so I could turn and glare at her. "Look, what's your problem? I haven't done anything. Why do hate me and my sparkmate so much? It's not like I asked for the Decepticons to come and try to kill me or whatever."

Director Fenner's face was suddenly two inches away from mine and she had turned a little red. "But they're still coming, aren't they? They're still attacking the base, endangering American soldiers, the civilians around us, all because of _you _and their God-forsaken war!"

More than a little shocked, I stepped back until my back hit the counter. She followed me as I walked. "Look, you little immature _brat_, there are people fighting this war that have families, _lives._ They're fighting a war that was brought to our world without our permission, and they're dying for it. Since you came here, the Decepticons have only increased their attacks. And your too selfish to move to Diego Garcia, where you are away from civilization, where the Decepticons can't find you. People have made sacrifices bigger than you have. Eight good people died during that last battle. I lost my _husband _to this war. You think you've done nothing wrong?"

Director Fenner snorted. "You haven't. You've just been selfish."

She continued to glare at me coldly for a few more moments, before walking back the way she came, high heels clicking.

I suddenly felt very cold, and to an empty room, I said, "Eight people died?"

Eight people died, I thought again, and it wasn't a question.

Eight people died.

* * *

"Nicole?"

I jumped at Barricade's voice in the dark. Everything was a blur between now and what happened in the break room. When I had finally come to my senses, I was in the quarters Barricade and I shared, crying, with my knees pulled up to my chest in the dark. Director Fenner's words kept repeating in my head. Eight people died. Eight. Did they have families? Did they have spouses? Children? Parents? Siblings?

I don't think I had ever felt so guilty.

Right now, I was laying on the side of the berth closest to the wall, facing it. One of the pillows Bumblebee had given me was under my head and the other I was hugging to my chest. I turned a little so I could see Barricade. "Hey." My voice was hoarse.

His optics lit up the room as he laid down beside me, being careful not to actually squish me. "Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"

Sighing, I turned back around so I facing the wall. "Yeah."

There was a small rush of air behind me, and Barricade's holoforms arms encircled my waist. "Why?"

My hand wrapped around his own in the dark. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That eight people died during that last battle."

My words must have sounded accusing, because I felt guilt flow from his side of the bond. "We didn't know how you would handle it."

"How I would handle it." I repeated softly, tracing circles on Barricade's hand.

My sparkmate pulled me closer to his holoform's chest and I felt his face press into my hair. "Nicole, we weren't trying to deceive you. We just thought it would be best if you didn't know. We were afraid you'd….."

"Go over the deep end? Go looney? Fall off the edge?" I laughed bitterly. "That happened a long time ago, babe."

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "No, don't be. You were just worried about me. It's just….." I trailed off, feeling tears spring up. "I never even thought… I mean, the thought never crossed my mind that…..people died. I'm sorry."

Barricade sighed. "You don't have to be, Nicole. You just entered the war. We've been in it for thousands of years. We're used to bots around us, friends, family dying. We've learned to expect it and deal with it. It's not your fault-"

"Yes, it is!" I snapped. "If I hadn't been here, then, those people wouldn't have died. It's…." I shook my head, closing my eyes and a few tears rolling down my cheeks. "It's all my fault, Barricade."

His holoform hugged me tighter. "Don't say anything else, Nicole. You're just upsetting yourself. Please. I don't like it when you're sad."

I did as he said and didn't say anything else. After a few more minutes of me crying, I turned my whole body around so I could hug Barricade back. I buried my face in his chest, smelling the smell that I associated with the mech I loved.

"Did you know that Director Fenner's husband died fighting the Decepticons?" I asked softly.

Barricade started in surprise, but seemed to think it over before saying, "Then I feel sorry for her. No matter how much she irks me, no one deserves to loose the person or bot they love."

"Yeah, I know." I mumbled into his shirt. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He tilted my face up so he could press a kiss to my lips. "Feel better?"

"I guess."

In the dark, I could see him smile. "Good." He hugged me to his chest, sighing.

I pondered whether to ask the question I had in mind and ruin the moment or not. In the end, my curiosity won out. "Barricade, do you wish the war had never happened?"

"No." He said instantly. "Because of this war, I have you. So, no, I don't wish it had never happened. I'm very glad. Sometime I'll have to thank Megatron for starting the war. I'm not proud of the…..things I've done to get here, but I don't regret meeting you." He paused. "I don't regret running over you."

I laughed. Again Barricade smiled. "There's the smile I missed."

I did smile, and ran my hands over his chest, feeling the muscle of his holoform beneath his shirt. "I wish everyone else knew this side of you."

"What side?"

"The loving, caring, gentle side. The side I fell in love with."

"Oh. That side." His forehead rested against mine. "That side is for your eyes only."

I reached up and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. "I promised you something. You promise me something."

"Anything."

I took a deep breath and said, "Promise to love me forever, no matter what I do. No matter how many times I push you away, get mad at you, piss you off, cuss you out, promise you'll keep loving me."

Barricade reached up and brushed his hand across my cheek. "Always, Nicole. Today, tomorrow, forever, I will love you."

I couldn't help but wonder if he would still love me after I died.

Director Fenner was right. I was selfish. I was selfish for making him promise that.

But at the moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.

* * *

Okay, so the Me's took a hike for today. So it's just me.

Sorry it took so long to get this out. But the end of school is hectic, I've been really tired the whole time, and people have been dragging me everywhere.

But school's out! So updates should be quicker, but that's only if I have the time.

**Attention: **I have come up with the idea of having a drawing contest for Nicole. I can't draw worth a flip, but I've really wanted a photo of my OC because I love her so much. So all you talented readers out there can give it a shot, and I'll pick the one I think is the closest to what Nicole looks like. The deadline is July 1. Send it to me via email, or on Deviant Art .com. I'll put my email on my profile.

Remember, Nicole has long black hair and hazel eyes.

Reviews make me type faster! Tell me in a review if you want to participate. Reviews are fuel!

**NEXT CHAPTER: **After doing what she thinks is necessary, Nicole is forced to set into motion what the AllSpark showed her during that last battle, knowing there's no turning back.


	21. Megsy, Screamer and the Walking Computer

How come I get the feeling you're going to hate me after this chapter?

* * *

Chapter 21:

Nicole POV

I studied Barricade's sleeping faceplates, head propped on my arms.

After our conversation, the Mustang had turned his holoform off and laid on his back so I could lay on his chest. Not long after that, Barricade had fallen asleep, and I soon followed. But now I was awake and listening to the steady thrum of Barricade's spark under his armor.

_It's time, youngling._

I sighed as the AllSpark interrupted my peace. _What?_

_You must leave. It's time._

My heart froze. _You're kidding me. Now? Just up and leave?_

_Yes. Do you know what time it is? _

I looked at the little clock on the wall, and was just barely able to make out the time in the dark. I winced. 9:42, in the evening. _And?_

_If you stick to the halls and become invisible, you could slip out unnoticed._

_And then what? Call the Decepticons? I don't exactly have them on speed dial. And what happened to the whole I-have-to-decide-the-fate-of-the-universe crap?_

_By leaving, you are making the decision to save the universe._

I almost snorted out loud. _Oh, I forgot. If I leave, I die. If I don't, I _still _die, just with everyone else. _I paused. _Either way, I die. _

There was a pause, then, _Girl, I'm not making you choose. This is your choice. But the reason you were picked was because you would make the right choice._

It suddenly occurred to me that I did have a choice. A choice to stay, and live, enjoying the last moments with family, not away from them. But I looked back at Barricade's peaceful faceplates, and knew that no matter how much I wanted that, it wasn't the right choice. It was selfish, even if it was a more desirable one.

No, Barricade and everyone else I loved deserved to live life. I'm not saying I didn't, but I could at least give them that chance.

_Fine. Give me a few hours._

Silently, careful not to disturb him, I slid off of Barricade's chest and landed on the berth with a soft thump. I walked up to his helm and gently reached out to run my hand across his faceplates, trying to memorize every detail.

After I couldn't stand it any longer, I leaned forward and kissed Barricade on the lip plates. The memory of our first kiss came to mind, and I smiled sadly. "I love you, Barricade. Today, tomorrow, forever."

Then I transwarped outside the door. I looked up at the security camera pointed towards our quarters. "Goodbye." I whispered. Then I made myself invisible and took off down the hall.

A single tear slid down my cheek. It took all of my will power not to look back.

* * *

I transwarped to the monitor room. The one place in the base that had a connection to all of the security cameras. It was surprisingly empty. They must have been changing shifts. In that case, I would have to make this quick. The reason I had come here was to see everyone one last time before I left. The one way to do that without actually seeing them face-to-face was to use the security cameras to locate them.

In Prowl's office, Jazz was trying to get the tactician to stop working by sitting on his desk, holding the datapads just out of Prowl's reach. Frustrated, Prowl tackled Jazz and started wrestling him for it. Some how, the saboteur managed to escape and dashed out the door and down the hall, laughing, with Prowl chasing right after him.

In the Rec room, Optimus and Elita-1 were sitting at one of the tables with Ironhide (who was petting Spice with one finger; the black mech had taken a liking to my cat, saying that he liked cats a whole lot better than dogs) and Chromia, just talking and drinking Energon. Also in the Rec room, Smokescreen was playing Poker (and winning) with the Chevy twins, Beachcomber, and Wheelie. At a human table, Lennox, Epps, Simmons, and Leo were doing the same thing.

On a different camera in the Rec room, sitting on the couch, it looked like Bumblebee was talking to Arcee. Since the cameras weren't equipped with sound, I couldn't hear what Arcee said, but I saw Bumblebee nod slowly. Arcee smiled before leaning up and kissing the Camaro.

I smiled. "Good job, 'Bee."

In the Med Bay, Ratchet had pulled out a table and four chairs and was sitting with Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Bluestreak. The two scientists and one medic were drinking what looked like high grade while listening to Bluestreak ramble. Ratchet muttered something, cutting off Bluestreak in mid sentence, and Perceptor laughed while Wheeljack's earfins flashed in amusement. Bluestreak just looked confused.

On a different camera, this one in the quarters of Red Alert and Inferno, it showed the Security Director getting up from the berth again to check the upgraded locks on their door. When Red Alert got back, Inferno pulled him back down on the berth before closing his optics. I waited a few seconds, and sure enough, Red Alert started to get up again.

In the Corvette twins quarters, Sideswipe was sitting on their couch playing a video game against Willow, and I was willing to bet that he was letting her win. On the other side of their quarters, Sunstreaker was showing several paintings and sketches of his to Taylor, who was standing on a table. I knew Sunny could draw good, and it made me sad that I had never seen one of his works.

Sunny asked Taylor something and she nodded. The golden Corvette pulled out a drawing pad and stylus. Taylor sat down, legs crossed and hands in her lap, and became very still. It took me a moment to realize that Sunny was sketching her. At the same time, Willow started jumping up and down on the couch, pumping her fist in the air. Sideswipe smiled as he watched her.

I smiled. Maybe Willow and Taylor had finally found someone to love. I hope they had. They were both good people, and deserved to have that happiness. I wondered if Willow had told Sides about her twin.

Yes, this was my family. One big bunch of crazy idiots that I loved. Some of them were alien, some of them human, and I wasn't blood-related to a single one of them.

But I still considered them my family.

I forced myself to not look at the camera that showed Barricade sleeping peacefully. It hurt too much.

I leaned back from the little screens, making my mind up about something. I couldn't very well just leave with no explanation, even if Jazz knew. So I was going to write letters for them, for one final goodbye and an explanation they all deserved.

Especially Barricade. If anyone deserved an explanation, it would be him.

Subconsciously, I blocked the bond as I thought about it. He would want to know why I had lied to him, betrayed him, and broke my promise to never leave.

In the end, I just hoped he forgave me and kept his promise.

Though I wouldn't hold it against him if he didn't.

* * *

Two hours and several tears later, I had left the letters addressed to each bot or person in a box. I put the small box on the table in the Command Center (where I knew they would find it), the room that Director Fenner had first made her argument about me being a threat. She would've been a great lawyer, I I was standing outside the base, staring up at the stars. I saw the Big Dipper, the Small Dipper, the North Star, and the milky way. It was a new moon, which made them stand out even more. _Now what?_ I asked the AllSpark quietly.

_You know what to do._

And I did.

* * *

_12:23 AM_

I transwarped to one of the more woodsy areas of Nevada. Looking around, I recognized the familiar clearing that had been one of the site my parents had taken me camping when they were alive. Good memories resurfaced, temporarily lightening my mood.

"Okay, Nicole, let's get this over with." I muttered, then laughed. "Look at me, talking to myself."

I held my hands out in front of me, much like I had done when I created a new spark for Jazz. I focused on gathering up all the AllSpark energy I could spare and pouring it into one ball, only this time I wasn't putting enough energy to become an actual spark. So, in other words, it was just a ball of energy. Slowly, a bright glowing orb the size of a basketball grew in my hand. When I couldn't pour anymore energy in it, I threw the orb as hard as I could at the sky.

When it reached as high as it would go, a good four hundred feet high, I willed the AllSpark energy to disperse.

Like a mini bomb, the orb exploded in a bright but quiet explosion, particles floating down around me like snow. A shockwave went through the air.

If I was right, and the Decepticons were watching for any AllSpark signature, then that little trick I had just done would be like getting whacked in the face with a two-by-four.

I studied the little glowing flakes of what was left over from the explosion as they floated down. They covered the ground and made the clearing light up. It was beautiful.

Ten minutes later, the glow had almost faded. Something sailed across the sky silently and circled the clearing. From the outline, I could tell it was Buzzsaw. I waved at the Casseticon cheerily. If I was gonna go down, might as well go down with a bravado.

Buzzsaw dropped a few degrees in altitude, apparently surprised. Once he was flying steadily again, I listened into his comm as he sent out a ping. It must've been a signal for confirmation that, yes, I was there. On the other side of the comm Soundwave spoke up.

::Buzzsaw: Continue to monitor the Host. Estimated time before arrival: 30 seconds.::

Oh, _crap._

For a moment, my throat closed up and I couldn't breathe. I had that urge to run as far away and as fast as I could from here. The time I had waited for, prepared for, dreaded, had finally come, and I was _terrified. _

There was a small _'vop'_, a flash of purple light, and Megatron, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Soundwave dropped in the clearing.

They stared at me. I stared at them. Then I smiled and said, "What? You didn't expect me to scream, did you?"

Obviously they did expect it.

What _I _didn't expect them to shoot a fragging_ net_ at me.

Basic survival instincts took over and I immediately started struggling. Which only got myself tangled up in it. Fat lot of good that did me.

Three of them - I couldn't tell which ones - turned their holoforms on and held me down. "Disgusting." I heard Starscream mutter. I cursed as someone pushed my head down so my neck was exposed. "Calm _down_, fleshie!" Thundercracker hissed.

There was a small pinprick in my neck, and immediately I went still because if it was a damn needle, I didn't want them to jab something vital. Sedatives weren't supposed to work on me, but it must've been something they made, because seconds later I started to feel numb spread from the spot.

When they pulled the needle out, I started struggling again. Never said I would make it easy, did I? But my movements felt slow and sluggish, and my limbs felt too heavy to move. My eyes started to close and I stopped moving. As unconsciousness started closing in, I felt someone pick me up.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the stars, probably the last time I'd ever see them alive.

* * *

_5:19 AM_

Barricade POV

When I woke up, I felt a tingling sensation lingering on my lip plates.

I sighed, wondering if there was another dead mech somewhere on base that Nicole was resurrecting. Because the last time I woke up alone, Jazz up and walking and talking had been the result.

Sitting up, I reached through the bond, only to find it blocked. Okay, so Nicole didn't want me to know where she was. She might've been upset still. I was worried, but all I had to do was find her on base.

Easier said than done, as Nicole had proved many times.

I opened a comm to Jazz. ::Jazz, have you seen Nicole?::

There was a groan on the other end. ::Fraggit, Fairy! Are ya crazy? Do ya even know wha' time it is?::

::Did you seriously just call me Fairy?:: I snapped.

There was sigh. ::'Cade, I haven't seen her. Who would at this hour?::

::I just figured she may have went to you. She was real upset before we went into recharge.::

Jazz was quiet for a few moments, before asking, ::Upset 'bout wha'?::

::Director Fenner told her about the eight soldiers that died during the last battle.::

::Oh. Well, ya might check with Prowl. Red Alert's takin' a two day vacation and Prowler's got live feed ta all the cameras wired ta his computer.::

::Why don't you ask him?::

::Because last night I stole his datapads and the fragger locked me outta our quarters.::

::So where are you now?::

::On the couch in the Rec room.::

::….Oh. So where would Prowl be? Your quarters?::

::Nah, this hour he'd be in his office. Prob'ly locked me outta that, too.:: He said huffily.

::Thanks, Jazz.:: I said quickly before he could start ranting about it.

::Whatever, mech. Tell me if ya find her.::

I cut the comm and instead of just opening another one to Prowl, I left our quarters and made my way to the SIC's office. There was only a few waking humans and one or two bots that I passed. It was a huge change from when I first arrived at the base, seeing as no one glared at me or snarled threats.

I knocked and waited for the tactician to admit me. He was sitting behind his desk, doing datapads as usual. Prowl barely glanced up at me before looking back to his work. "Barricade. I thought you were in recharge with Nicole. What can I do for you at this hour?"

"I'm actually looking for Nicole. Have you seen her?""No. Have you checked with my idiot of a bondmate?"

"Yes, I did, and he said to ask you since you have live feed to each of the security cameras."

"I do. The camera in your quarters or the one in the hall?"

"The one in our quarters, I guess." I said reluctantly. "Do you ever-"

"Watch you in your quarters?" Prowl snorted, doorwings flicking absently as he turned to his terminal. "Of course not. I don't watch anyone recharging in their quarters. That would be, as the girls put it, too much like a 'stalker'. Something I am not. Although I have been watching Jazz fall off the couch every time he goes into recharge…."

I moved behind his desk so I could watch over his shoulder. "You do realize what your designation is, right, _Prowl_?"

He turned and gave me that piercing gaze he gave the twins when they had been caught for a prank. "And?"

I opened my mouth, but whatever I had been going to say went down the drain, just because Prowl was staring at me with the infamous Look. Yes, it had a name. "Never mind." I muttered, looking back to his terminal screen.

I could've sworn the Dodge Charger looked smug as he turned back around. "I'm rewinding it backwards twelve hours."

Twelve hours backwards, it showed Nicole asleep on my chassis and me in recharge. Prowl grunted, and two seconds later I got a not-so-innocent smack in the faceplates by a doorwing. I glared at it and considered flicking it, but decided I'd rather not get my servo torn off by an angry tactician or saboteur.

Around 9:30 PM, Nicole woke up, but didn't actually get up. Then around 9:45 she slid off my chassis, walked up next my helm and ran her hand over my faceplates. At 9:50 she leaned forward and kissed me. Again, I felt that tingling sensation on my lip plates. Nicole was saying something, but the slagging security cameras didn't come with sound.

I was getting frustrated. Nervous. Scared. My sparkmate look so…..sad. Nicole acted like she was saying good bye. The kiss, whatever she was saying, not waking me up. It would make sense as to why the bond was blocked. Primus, she _was_ saying goodbye. No, I told myself. Don't go down that road. You're overreacting.

Next she transwarped to the door. Prowl hurriedly switched camera views to the one in the hall, just as transfixed as I was. Nicole looked directly at the camera and said something else, but I wasn't a lip reader. Then she went invisible and was gone.

Prowl paused it and sat back, looking confused and shocked. I moved back around the front of the desk so I could see him better. His optics flicked to mine, but he looked away quickly. Too quickly. When I still was a Decepticon, interrogations were one of my specialties (not something I'm proud of). I could always tell the bot I was interrogating knew something or not just by the fact that they couldn't keep eye contact.

Then it hit me. Prowl knew what Nicole had said in the video.

Anger, my natural defense response that arose when I felt desperate, welled up inside me to block out the fear that was threatening to take over. "What did she say?"

Prowl just shook his helm. "I….."

"Dammit, Prowl! What did she say?" I nearly shouted. Frustration, fear, anger, irritation, terror….

When the tactician still didn't reply, I nearly reached across the desk and hit him. But finally he looked up into my optics. "At first she said she'd love you, today, tomorrow, and forever. Then out in the hall she said…."

I knew what he was going to say, but I wish with all my spark that I was wrong.

"Goodbye."

My spark froze. In that one moment, fear took over.

I don't know what happened, but when I regained some sense of what I was doing, I was pinned against the floor in the hall by Prowl, who was shouting something over a comm out loud. I remember throwing Prowl off and running again, only to be tackled by two more mechs. The twins. I heard myself snarl, struggling. I nearly had thrown them off when another larger mech sat literally on top of me. Skyfire. I heard Ratchet shouting, then a small prick on my neck and a sedative was administered to my main Energon line.

It worked fast. I soon felt too heavy to move. There was voices. Shouting, angry, confused, some afraid. Someone was picking me up by my arms.

I didn't care. Nicole was gone. My sparkmate had left. She had broke her promise.

One question echoed in my head. _Why?_

Darkness closed in, and I accepted it as an escape from the confusion, hurt, and fear.

* * *

"What the frag, Prowl? What in Pit was _that_?"

After getting Barricade sedated, Prowl, Ratchet, and Optimus had accompanied the twins in taking the Mustang to the brig for everyone's safety, including his own. Now the SIC, CMO, and Autobot leader were watching Barricade twitch in his recharge in the corner of the cell.

The tactician winced at Ratchet's angry expression. "It's hard to explain, but Barricade came to me, wanting to see the security camera footage for the past twelve hours. He said when he woke up from recharge she was gone. As we watched the cameras, Nicole… She… woke up and-" He stopped, finding it hard to explain something that looked so private in words. "She told Barricade she loved him and then left their quarters."

"And?" Optimus asked.

"She looked at the camera and said goodbye before becoming invisible." The tactician finished quietly.

"Goodbye? What the slag did she mean by that?" Ratchet started pacing, just feeling the urge to be moving because being still felt unsettling.

Optimus watched Barricade through the Energon bars. "And that was what caused Barricade to-"

"Go on a rampage?" Ratchet snorted, shooting a glare at the SIC and Autobot Leader. "That was _exactly_ what caused it. How would you feel if either of your bondmates did what Nicole did? We need to find Nicole _now._"

The semi truck nodded, before looking at Prowl. "We need all footage of the time between now and when Nicole disappeared pulled and reviewed for any clues as to where she is. I'd like to see the footage that you and Barricade watched. Also, we need to have an emergency meeting with all of the commanding officers in the Command Center."

Prowl nodded, looking solemn, while Ratchet growled mostly to himself. "There's something bigger going on here. Nicole didn't tell us something."

"Something bigger, indeed." The tactician murmured as they walked out of the brig.

* * *

Jazz nearly ran into Optimus just as the semi truck and Prowl arrived in front of the doors to the Command Center. "What's goin' on?"

"We're having an emergency meeting." Optimus said as the doors swished open.

"Why? Did I miss somethin'?"

"Where were you when Barricade went on a rampage?" Prowl asked, giving his bondmate a stern look.

"Tryin' ta crack the code ta quarters. The code _ya_ installed." Jazz retorted, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Well, don't take my datapads."

"I won't when ya remember to refuel."

"Prowl, Jazz, can you work this out later? We have a problem right now, and this isn't helping." Optimus said from the head of the table, looking a tad exasperated.

"No one's told me the problem yet." Jazz said, sitting down on his left side.

"Nicole is missing." Prowl explained, sitting down on Prime's right side.

The silver mech nodded. "Yeah, 'Cade told me. And why was he freakin' out 'gain?"

Prowl shuttered his optics, helm hurting from the illogicalness of it all. "Wait until the others get here."

Ratchet, who had said he needed to get something from the Med Bay, walked in two minutes later, with the twins and Taylor and Willow, all of them looking tired. The twins set the girls, who were still in pajamas, on the table. Sunny glared balefully at the three bots already in the room. "Why are we here again?"

Prowl glared sharply at Ratchet. "Yes, Ratchet, why are they here? Unless the twins have been promoted, something that I doubt, they don't belong here."

Ratchet matched Prowl's look with one of his own, if not more heated. "Can it, Prowl. You're not the only fragged off and confused bot here. They deserve to know. Especially Taylor and Willow, seeing as they're Nicole's best friends."

"What's wrong with Nicole?" Taylor and Willow asked at the same time.

"We're waiting for everyone else to get here so we can explain this just once." Optimus said.

Just as he said that Wheeljack and Red Alert walked in. Soon everyone had taken their respective seats. The twins stood along the wall, watching, while Taylor and Willow had sat on the table. The Autobot Leader looked around the table. "Is that everyone?"

"No." A sharp voice came from the ground near the door. Director Fenner stood there, looking like she had hurriedly thrown something on. "You do not start an emergency meeting without me."

From the back of the room, the twins both growled lowly. Prime silenced them with a look, before nodding to the Director. Wheeljack helped her on the table, though she didn't look exactly happy about it, and went to stand near Willow and Taylor. "Now, what is this about that couldn't have waited until-"

A banging on the door cut her off. "Prime? What's wrong? Does it have to do with Nicole?" Bumblebee's voice sounded from the other side.

"He is not permitted here, and neither are they." Director Fenner said quickly.

Optimus just ignored the woman and said, "Come in, Bumblebee."

The scout rushed in, looking worried. "Sideswipe said it was about Nicole."

Everyone turned to look at the frontliner.

He shrugged. "He deserved to know, too."

Prowl copied the human act of clearing his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Now, if that is everyone…. This is what we are here for." He activated a screen to drop down from the ceiling at the back of the room, behind Optimus. On it, it showed Nicole and Barricade's quarters. The room was silent as they watched the very footage that Barricade and Prowl had watched. With a small click, Prowl paused it just as Nicole disappeared.

Everyone was silent.

Then, "What was that?" Taylor's voice seemed small.

"That," Wheeljack said, "was bad, wasn't it?"

"Very bad." Optimus said. "Nicole has been missing since then. That's why Barricade is in the brig right now, sedated."

"But why?" Blaster asked. "Why'd she just up and leave? Surely she's on base, right?"

"We don't know. But, at the part where she looks up at the camera, Nicole says goodbye. There's a high percentage that she's not on base. As for why she just left, we don't know that, either." Prowl looked at Red Alert. "We need the tapes for between now and when Nicole left reviewed. There may be something, anything, to let us know where she went. Get some bots to help you review the tapes, so it will go by faster. Clear?"

Red Alert nodded. Blaster and Perceptor stood up at the same time. "We'll help."

As the three bots left, the SIC looked at Director Fenner. "We should have security perimeters checked and more patrols of both humans and Autobots. I'll set that schedule up-"

"Wait a second." Director Fenner snapped. "You're overreacting. That girl could just be playing a joke for all we know, or setting up something-"

"Slaggit, would you shut your mouth for two seconds?" Ironhide snapped.

"Ironhide!" Prime said sternly, but the weapons specialist went on. The black mech stood up, towering over the woman. "You don't know Nicole! 'That girl' may seem like just another liability, but we actually give a frag about her! She does stupid things, sure, but she knows when it's gone too far! Nicole wouldn't play a joke like this!"

"'Hide." Jazz said calmly, speaking for the first time since the meeting had started. Everyone turned to look at the saboteur. His arms were crossed and his visor had darkened to a deep sapphire. "Sit down. She ain't worth it. We got bigger problems right now."

"Guys?"

Now everyone looked at Willow, who was looking through a small open box. "Look at this. They're letters. With names on them."

"In Nicole's handwriting." Taylor added. She held one up. "This one's mine. And there's one with your name, Jazz. You, too, Prowl. Optimus…." She began to take out several letters and hand them to different bots.

There were thirteen letters in all. Jazz, Prowl, Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Taylor, Willow, the Twins, Arcee, Director Fenner, and Barricade. There was even one addressed to everyone on base. As each bot or human received their letter, the room was quiet. The three letters that hadn't been taken, Barricade's, Arcee's, and the one addressed to everyone, sat by the box on the table.

Everyone started reading.

* * *

Nicole POV

Consciousness came fast. Fast, as in, someone-zapped-me-with-a-slagging-cattle-prod-to-wake-me-up fast.

And it hurt.

I clenched my teeth, feeling very stiff and sore at the moment. "What. The. Frag?"

"Look, Megatron, your pet's awake." I heard Starscream sneer.

Groaning, I turned on my side and opened my eyes to a dim blue glow. I turned my head side to side, trying to figure out where I was. The walls were made of a solid blue, just like my force fields. But the ceiling…..was made of metal. And the room was too small to hold a Transformer. No, I realized. This wasn't one room.

It was a cage. I was in a _cage. _

And had Starscream seriously just called me a pet?

_Megatron's_, no less. I shuddered. Or, I would've if the motion didn't hurt like heck.

Then I felt it. Something around my neck. Uncomfortably snug, cold, metal, and thrumming just barely. I reached up (_Ow, ow, ow_) and felt of the thing. It took my poor muddled brain a few seconds to figure out that, yes, it was a collar. A damn collar. There were no words to describe how I felt right now.

Well….. There actually was a few choice words, but they're not really….._appropriate._ (AKA clean.)

"The AllSpark couldn't have chosen a more pathetic excuse for a Host."

For a moment, I froze. I had never been this close to Megatron unless it was in my dream, which didn't even really count, or in the battle that had nearly taken Barricade's life. All of my fear I had felt that day had come rushing back.

_I'm still here, youngling._

The AllSpark, something that I considered sparkless and cold and the start of all my problems, was offering comfort when I needed it most. So I grabbed at it like a drowning man - er, woman - would at a life preserver.

Almost instantly I just felt…..calm.

I sat up and looked at Megatron, who was leaning down to look in my…._cage_, square in the optic and grinned. "Frankly, I think the AllSpark choose a great Host, Megatron."

The Decepticon leader studied me, almost warily, before saying, "Soundwave, I think the collar messed with the Host's processor."

I gaped at him. "My head is perfectly fine, thank you very much!"

Again, if felt like someone stuck me with those cattle prods. If I had to guess what getting struck by lightning felt like, I would guess this was it. Who-knows-how-many-volts of electricity going through your body….. Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is what getting struck by lightning feels like. Only this lasted for at least five seconds, and it felt like I was on fire. It hurt. Bad.

I laid on my back, unable to do anything for a few moments, feeling literally stunned. Sounding almost faraway, I heard Megatron. "Silence, fleshie. You do not speak unless I permit you to. Now, get up."

"Can't." I said, my voice hoarse. More fire coursed through me, but I refused to scream. But, God, did it hurt.

The electrocution stopped, and I very faintly heard Starscream say that Megatron had broken me. The 'Con leader snapped something back, before commanding me to get up again. Still, all I felt was numbness. I waited to be electrocuted again, but instead I felt myself moving. The AllSpark took control of my body and stood up for me. Part of me was scared that it could do that. Part of me was glad it was doing. Because I sure couldn't right now.

"Just what is so special about you, girl, that the AllSpark would bestow such power on?" Megatron asked. My head felt fuzzy right now. And….sort of tingly. I ignored it. "You are so small, so weak, so unworthy of it. You have nothing to do with it. No worlds to conquer. No enemies to destroy. You are insignificant."

It amazed me how easily he could put someone down without so much as twitching.

_I think I can hold myself up now, _I told the AllSpark. Feeling returned to my limbs and I glared up at Megatron, trying to stop my hands from shaking. "So. I'm here, Megatron. What do you want?"

The silver mech sneered at me. "And here I thought you might actually have a little bit of intelligence. Isn't it obvious, girl? I want power. I want to rule this universe. I want to crush your dear Optimus Prime under my pede. I want to rule over all Cybertronians."

"All Cybertronians?" I threw my hands up. "_What _Cybertronians? Cybertron is a dead planet! No one can survive on it in the condition it is! Thanks to you, there isn't _any _Cybertronians left to rule over!"

Megatron growled lowly. "Last time I check, fleshie, the Autobots were Cybertronians."

"Yeah, but if you won the war, you'd turn them into slaves! Or just kill them all!"

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"Of course you don't." I snapped. "You're sparkless. And an idiot if you think I'm just going to do anything you want."

Ignoring me, he turned to face Starscream and Soundwave. "Starscream, leave. I'll summon you when it's done. Soundwave, stay."

"Of course, Lord Megatron." Starscream said sarcastically. As he walked past me towards the only door in the room, I couldn't help but say, "Since when do you follow orders like a dog, Starscream?"

The Air Commander hissed at me but said nothing as he left. I smirked to myself.

Megatron turned around to a table, almost like a medical berth, but whatever he was messing with I couldn't see around his frame. "I don't need you to control the power, girl. I just need you to drain the power."

"Hate to say it, Megsy, but the AllSpark only works for me and me only."

"That's not true. You're a Host. Merely a shell for the power. If you can hold the power, than I can hold it, too."

I didn't mention that if he really did try to contain the AllSpark energy, that he would burn up. Instead I said, "And what makes you think I'll just do anything you say?"

Megatron hummed thoughtfully, rearranging something on the table. "Your bondmate's life."

I froze. "What?"

"I'm not stupid, girl. I can read the signs. Soundwave helped in confirming my suspicions."

I turned to stare at the Communications Officer, who stared back with a blank expression. It all clicked into place. "_Get out of my head!" _I snarled out loud, pushing that tingling feeling out of my head brutally fast. Soundwave staggered backwards, visor flaring brightly.

Megatron paused in whatever he was doing, looking at his TIC, then back to me with a smile. "Your powers are strong. Good."

I stared at him, then to Soundwave, who was holding his helm and leaning against another table in the room, and back to Megatron. "One of your highest ranking officer is hurt, and you say that is 'good'? You make me sick."

"I've been told worst, girl." Megatron finally turned back around, holding something small almost delicately in his servos. I didn't see what it was until he set it in front of my cage.

A sparkling protoform.

I stared at it, hoping this wasn't going where I thought it was. I looked up at Megatron. "A protoform?"

The silver mech was looking at the protoform with something like excitement. "This will be the heir to my throne. My successor. And the new Host of the AllSpark."

I stared at him in shock. "What?"

"You are going to drain all of your powers into this protoform, girl. It will be the new Host, one fit and trained to rule the Decepticons."

Well, Starscream sure wasn't going to be happy.

* * *

Me: Hi, readers! Did you like this chapter?

Abusive Me: No, they didn't, and I didn't. Get that into your head.

Me: *pushes Abusive under the table* Don't mind her. She's just…..

Random Me: Moody? HAHA, MOODY OFF HARRY POTTER! *laughs maniacally* OHH, COOKIES!

Me: Moody is a good word. And who gave Random cookies?

Liar Me: I shall tell a lie. It was me.

Nice Me: *looks noble and raises hand* It was me.

Me: *sighs* I live with idiots.

Smart Me: Hey!

Me: Wow, you speak up now?

Abusive Me: Yeah, where have you been? God knows the Original Me over here needs you 95% of the day.

Me: Hey! I'm the creative one here, writing all these good chapters!

Smart Me: No, Creative Me is over there. *points*

Creative Me: *looks up from laptop with pencil between teeth, pausing in writing new chapters, waves, and goes back to writing*

Smart Me: She's always writing, so she doesn't get to talk.

Me: Why does she have a pencil if she's typing?

Smart Me: *sighs*

Abusive Me: *gets down on knees in front of Smart* Please, please, please, become the Head Me! I'm stuck here with idiots.

Me: Hey! That's my job!

Abusive Me: And you suck at it. *turns back to Smart* Please! I'll even knock off Original Me to make it easier!

Me: Uh, hello? I'm right here!

**NEXT CHAPTER:** I can't say anything with out giving anything away, so… yeah.

Just review! Reviews make me write faster! And my goal is 200 before I finish this story!


	22. Tick, Tick, Tick

Chapter 22:

Nicole POV

"No." I said firmly. "It's….inhumane. I can't just create a new spark out of nothing."

"You brought that puny silver mech back to life, girl."

I threw my hands up, exasperated. "At least I had _something _then! I knew who Jazz was, what his personality was! With this, I'd have to create a new personality, attitude, everything! This is starting from scratch!"Megatron leaned in closer, glaring at me. "I don't care if it has a personality or not. As long as it holds the powers you contain and follows orders I will be satisfied."

I felt sorry for the unsparked sparkling already. "That would be like….having a drone for a sparkling." Then I shook my head firmly. "No. I'm not bringing new life into this world just to suffer at the servos of _you._"

The Decepticon Leader sneered in my face. "You don't have a choice in the matter, girl. I won't hesitate to kill your traitor of a bondmate."

A light bulb went off in my head, and I smiled. "Do you think I'm stupid, Megatron? If you kill Barricade, you'll kill me. And, whoops, there goes the AllSpark power. Darn."

Instead of getting mad like I thought he would, Megatron laughed. "And I am not stupid either. There are others you care about that I could kill."

I glared at him. "The Autobots can defend themselves."

"I wasn't talking about the Autobots, though I wouldn't mind killing them all. I'm talking about your squishy friends."

Flashes of Taylor and Willow passed through my head, and I shook my head as if trying to clear the images. "I won't do it."

Apparently, the ticked Megatron off and he snarled. "You _will _do it, girl."

I looked back to the small frame of the sparkling. So small, vulnerable… I didn't want to create a spark just for serving Megatron. No, I wasn't going to sentence something so innocent to a life with that sole purpose. I opened my mouth to tell that to the warlord, but the AllSpark stopped me. _Do it. Give the sparkling a personality. A purpose. A life._

_And what about the AllSpark powers?_

_Replicate only a few of them. _

_So you're saying I should give this power to Megatron? _Megatron_?_

_No. Duplicate only a few of the powers. But make them unavailable until a certain age for the sparkling. That way it will be able to control the powers more easily._

I took a deep breath. _I hope you know what you're doing._

_Trust me, youngling. I do._

_Well, that sounded like it was either arrogant or a creepy future prediction._

Again, I took a deep breath again, bracing myself for what I was about to do. I looked up to Megatron. "Fine. I'll do it. But it will take time. Put the protoform in here and leave me alone."

The silver mech looked ready to argue, but I held my hands up. "You want me to do this, I'll do it. But on my terms."

Megatron growled unhappily, but carefully picked up the protoform and reached up to the top of my cage. I heard a code be entered, and then a small part of the ceiling slid away. Megatron's servo dipped in my cage, depositing the protoform. I considered attacking his servo (viciously, I can assure you), but in the end decided that it wasn't worth my time.

When the panel had slid shut, Megatron leaned down to glare at me again. "If you do anything to that protoform, girl, I'll kill you, slowly and painfully."

"Good to know." I snapped. Before he could leave, I said, "And when it's done, I want it to stay with me. And I also want to name it."

"Fine." He snapped. "As long as you get it done." Megatron growled at me once more before leaving. As Soundwave trailed out behind him, tentacles waving, I flipped him off. _'Stay out of my head.' _I snarled inside Soundwave's own helm.

I don't think I've ever seen the 'Con look so startled.

It was only when the door shut did I realize how scared I was.

That urge to curl up came back. Tears pricked my eyes. Sniffling, I wiped my eyes. I was alone. Isn't that what I wanted? No, I wanted Barricade. My heart clenched and my chest tightened. Barricade. What did he think of me right now? God, I was hurting right now. So bad. It hurt worst than the electrocution. I just wanted to cry.

I looked at the protoform. No, I couldn't afford to break down now. If the AllSpark was telling me to do this, then I needed to do it.

"Okay, little guy." I said to an empty room as I sat down with my legs crossed beside the protoform. "I hope you're ready for this."

It was obviously built to be a mech. The protoform was still a dull silver, since it didn't receive it's colors until it had a spark. The frame was loosely inspired by Megatron's, though I could tell it would transform into a jet, but it wasn't a Seeker frame. On it's helm were little horns, almost like Jazz's. It amazed me how loose, free, innocent it's faceplates were, and it wasn't even living yet.

I hoped I wasn't going to regret this.

Gee, how do you create a totally new personality? If only there was a book called _Creating New Sparks From Scratch for Idiots._

I didn't want the sparkling to grow up a ruthless Decepticon like Megatron. No, if he wanted that, he should've done this himself. So…..gentle? Quiet? What? I groaned and put my head in my hands. "I don't know how to do this." I whispered.

_Don't worry about the personality. Just form the spark. It will turn out right._

I paused, then said, _So, basically I'm doing what Vector Sigma does?_

_Yes. Just form the spark. The personality with be in the spark._

"Okay," I muttered. "That's easy. Just form the spark. Just too fragging _easy_." I paused, then said, "Is this going to drain my life force again and add to this?" I pointed at the white streak in my hair, then realized the AllSpark wasn't in the room, which led to me wondering if the AllSpark could see me, and that's when I realized I really did have ADD.

_No, the spark isn't big enough to need to draw from your life force. You will feel tired, but not pass out._

"Good." I sighed, then rubbed my hands together. "Well, here goes nothing." I touched the protoform's chasis and with a small hiss the chest plates split open to reveal the spark chamber, which also opened when I touched it. I held my hands out like I had when resurrecting Jazz and focused on forming the little spark. Fifteen seconds later, there was a small, itty bitty spark sitting in my hands that was slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

Annnnnnnnd my first thought was, _Aww, it's so cute._

Again, my ADD.

I gave the sparkling only three powers. Electricity, force fields, and invisibility. I could lie about giving the sparkling all of my powers. Besides, I don't think Megatron could take over the universe with those.

I gently set the small spark in the spark chamber. I had to pull my hand back quickly because the chamber snapped shut quickly, and the chest plates soon followed. My nerves were at an all time high as I heard the first signs of life in the sparkling. Premature systems booted online, hydraulics hissing, and other sounds of first life.

And finally, the bright chilling red optics lit up.

* * *

Barricade POV

My first thought was, _Dammit, that fragging medic drugged me!_

Then I remembered _why _they sedated me.

I was up in a flash, ready to take out whoever stood in my way, just to find Nicole and make sure she was all right-

When I realized I wasn't in the Med Bay.

I was in the brig. They had stuck me in the fragging brig.

"Relax, 'Cade. You ain't goin' anywhere for awhile." Said a low voice. Through the bars, Jazz watched me with arms crossed and visor dim.

My systems still feeling sluggish, I stood up, leaning against the wall. "Frag you!" I hissed, then stupidly pushed off the wall at the glowing Energon bars, only to be zapped back. Holding my arm, I snapped, "Where is she? Where's Nicole?"

"We're not certain."

"What do you mean you're not 'certain'? She's still on base, isn't she?"

"Nicole left, 'Cade. We're not sure, but we think she went ta-" Jazz stopped abruptly, visor completely off. He vented deeply before saying, "We think she went ta the Decepticons."

My world suddenly felt even more unbalanced, and it wasn't because of the drugs still in my systems. "What? Why would she do that? Nicole's not stupid. This better not be a joke."

"No joke, 'Cade." The silver mech said hoarsely, like it hurt.

I heard a growl, then realized it was myself. My fists clenched involuntarily. "I don't believe you."

"Jus' read this." Jazz pulled a small white envelope and two cubes of Energon out of his subspace. He handed them to me through the bars. "Here."

My name was on the envelope in Nicole's handwriting. My tanks churned at the site of the letter. Trying to change focus, I studied the two sealed Energon cubes. One was regular mid-grade, the other was high grade. "This one's high grade." I said flatly, holding the cube up.

Jazz didn't meet my optics. Instead, he turned around and starting walking towards the exit of the brig. "I know. Trust me, yer gonna need it."

I watched him until the brig door closed and I was alone again. Then I looked back to the envelopes and Energon cubes, before walking to the back of my cell again and sitting down. After setting the objects down, cautiously, I nudged gently against Nicole's side of the bond. Still blocked out.

I sighed before opening the regular Energon cube. I took a sip, but it was tasteless. I didn't even have an appetite. Sighing again, I turned my holoform on to open the envelope. My holoform's hands were shaking as I took out the letter.

_To my beautiful bondmate, Barricade,_

_If you're reading this, I'm probably already gone. And you're probably pissed as heck. I don't blame you. You have every right to be. _

_You deserve an explanation as to why I practically turned my back on you and the others. This isn't going to be easy to understand, or explain, especially since I'm giving you the short version. I've written the others letters as well to explain. I'm having a hard time just putting this into words._

_After I'm done, I don't expect you to love me. I know I made you promise, but I broke yours, so I don't expect you to keep it. _

_Remember how the legend said I was going to have to decide the fate of the universe? Yeah, well, the AllSpark showed me what would happen if I made the wrong decision. It was horrible. Basically, everything was wiped out. Everyone died. There wasn't anyway to hide from it. And, as the legend also said, I would die either way. The only way to prevent it from happening was for me to die. I saw how I was going to die. _

_The AllSpark told me I was going to have to leave and find the Decepticons. I'm not going to tell you how I die, but in order for it to happen, I had to leave. That was the decision that I had to make. Leave or don't leave. I chose leave, because as much as I want to live out the rest of my life with you, we all would've died anyways if I had stayed. I'd rather it just be me to die than everyone else. _

_So I left to make sure this happens. I'm not going to even try telling you not to come after me, because I know you will no matter what. All I ask is that you please understand that I had to do this. I __had__ to. If there had been any other way, trust me, I would have taken it. _

_I've known about this ever since that last battle. I wish I could've told you all this in person, but the AllSpark wouldn't let me. I know I shouldn't even have the right to ask you this, but please don't be mad. I told Jazz. I'm so, so sorry, Barricade. Please don't be mad at him. It's my fault. Everything just spilled out when I was in one of my weakest moments. He was only there because he was concerned about me._

_Concerned about me. Right now, I wish so many bots and people didn't care about me. This is going to hurt so bad, all because you all care. Why do you have to fragging care so much?_

_I love you, Barricade. You don't know how much I do. When I tell you I love you, I don't say it out of habit. They're words, but they mean so much to me. I remember how you once told me you changed for me. That I saved you. You're wrong, Barricade. You saved me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. _

_It hurts so badly to think that I'll never see you again, but I have to do this for you. For everyone. _

_Please, just do one thing for me. Promise me you'll keep living. Don't give up on life. You can hate me, curse me, or just erase me from your life completely, but please don't give up. I couldn't stand it if you just died because I did. _

_Someday we'll see each other again, in the Well of AllSparks. If I'm going there. Who knows. _

_We fought so hard to get to here. It was long and hard. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I fell in love with you somewhere along the way, Barricade. I'd have taken on the whole damn universe to be with you, and I would now, if that was possible. All I know is that I love you, and always will._

_I love you, Barricade. Today, tomorrow, forever. Don't ever forget that._

_With love, _

_Nicole_

The letter fell from my hand. And all I could feel was…numb.

* * *

Nicole POV

The sparkling blinked almost sleepily, then looked at me.

And I felt _something._

I gasped as I felt it again. Curiosity filtered through an open bond. Wait, bond? My bond with Barricade was still blocked, so that meant…..

The little still-gray sparkling struggled to sit up, and on instinct I helped him sit up. He stared at me curiously, then reached out cautiously and put a tiny servo on my face. I smiled and put my own hand over it. "Hello, little one."

He clicked softly, staring at my hand. Using his other hand, he poked me in the cheek with a small claw. Questioning filtered through our wide open bond.

Yes, _our _bond. Since I had created the sparkling, I'm guessing that made me his creator. His only creator. Now I shared a sibling/creator bond with him. This was _my _sparkling. And now I had to name him.

"What will your name be, little sparkling?" I asked quietly as he inspected my hand curiously. Obviously my organic skin interested him more than anything else at the moment. It was actually really cute.

I ran my free hand over his helm, and he instantly forgot about my hand as he started purring. Literally, _purring._ I continued to stroke his little helm, for a few moments forgetting everything but the little sparkling. My fingers accidentally brushed his horns, and he giggled, optics going dark for a few seconds.

I smiled again. Barricade had been right. I had lived to see my first sparkling. I just wished it was his own sparkling, too. My good mood disappeared as I thought about my sparkmate. By now they had probably found the letters. I would have to cut the bond soon.

The sparkling felt my sadness through the wide open bond and look up at me, concerned. "Uh?"

I smiled at him sadly. "It alright, sweetspark. Just had a really bad time lately."

He warbled sadly and crawled into my lap, trying to wrap his little arms around my waist. I stroked his helm, touched by his attempts at offering me comfort. "Thank you, little one." I pressed a kiss to his helm and felt a small shock. I laughed a little at the look on his faceplates.

I watched the sparkling for a few moments as he became more interested in his own body. He held out his servos, optics scrunched up in thought and concentration. After continuing to stare at his servos, I started to worry that something was wrong with his processor. "What-?"

I jumped a foot in the air as the sparklings servos transformed into long blades much like Sideswipe's.

For a moment, I just stared. Who the hell put _swords_ on a _sparkling_?

Megatron, that's who. Sick bastard, I thought.

The sparkling clicked gleefully and waved his transformed servos around. I sucked in breath as one came within an inch of my face. "Um, sweetspark? How about using regular servos for now?" I gently grabbed his blades to try and keep him from beheading me, but with an indignant squeak he pulled his arms out of my grasp, effectively slicing both of my palms open.

We both stared at the bright red blood that started pooling in my hands. The sparkling looked from my hands to his swords, which had my blood along the edges, then back to my hands.

And proceeded to cry.

"Hey, now," I whispered, trying not to get the blood on him. "Don't cry. It doesn't even hurt." All I felt in my hands was the warmth of the blood and a tingling sensation. But that doesn't mean I wasn't going to bleed to death, so I took my jacket off. I had dressed really casual, just a t-shirt and some jeans with my faithful black converses and the black jacket. The poor little guy was so upset that he didn't notice me using one of his swords to cut the jacket into strips. ("Daaaaaammmn…These are sharp…")

I tied up my hands almost like a boxer would with the black strips and used what left of the jacket to clean up the blood on the floor and me.

By the time I was done, the sparkling had bright blue Energon tears streaming down his faceplates. "Please don't be upset." I said, frowning. I pulled him on my lap and started stroking his helm. The small sparkling buried his helm in my neck and I just barely registered the Energon tears burning through my shirt.

Instead, I grasped his arms and sent a command for the blades to retract. A small shock went through both of us, and the blades retracted.

He was so surprised he forgot to keep crying.

He looked at me with a look of bewilderment, as if asking, _What the frag was that?_

I laughed. "You need to be more careful next time. Promise me you won't do that again until you're older?"

Of course, he didn't understand me, so he didn't really reply.

His attention was drawn back to my now bandaged hands. As he inspected the black strips I had used, I got the rest of my jacket and wiped away his tears. When that was done, I laid back and he snuggled up next to me, clicking. "You're tired already?" I asked him.

A sleepy click was my answer.

I smiled. "Okay, then. You go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

He clicked again lowly, nuzzling up against me. I stroked his helm as he slipped into recharge, humming a song. What to name him… I went through several different names in my mind and still couldn't think of one.

So, I asked the AllSpark. _What's his name?_

_His name is Stryker._

"Stryker." I whispered softly, tracing his faceplates gently. Newly named Stryker stirred, but didn't wake.

_You still need to break the bond, girl._

I sighed. _I've been putting it off. Well, I guess I'm ready._

No, I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to give up my last connection to Barricade.

But it had to be done.

I took one last glance at Stryker. Should I tell Barricade about my new sparkling? What would he think?

So, with that nagging worry in the back of my mind, I opened the bond.

* * *

Prowl couldn't think. He didn't _want _to think.

All he wanted to do was bury him self in his work. Working distracted him. Gave him something to do. Took his mind off of - No, he wasn't going to go there. That thought process would take him back to the hurt, the pain, the betrayal.

Another datapad finished, he set it down just to pick up another one.

Perhaps he was just as sparkless as the new recruits said. After reading the letter, he had simply walked out of the room while the others reacted in their own way. Some anger, some disbelief, some grief, some were speechless. Taylor had fell to her knees, crying big, heaving sobs, and Willow joined her when realization hit. Ironhide, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe had reacted in anger, shouting… Ratchet had asked if it was all a joke. Bumblebee panicked, and ran out of the room before Prowl could to do who knows what.

He hadn't stayed long enough to see anyone else's reactions.

Prowl wasn't sure how Jazz reacted. He didn't know where the silver mech was. He didn't know what he was doing. The tactician couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at the fact that his bondmate hadn't told him about what Nicole shared with him.

Nicole. The source behind the pain he was ignoring right now.

The screen on the datapad in Prowl's hand cracked, the light flickering before going off completely as the screen shattered and little shards cut into the wiring in his fingers.

It was ironic, Prowl mused, how different the circumstances were now from the time Nicole had sat on his desk all those weeks ago, and yet so similar. A few Energon tears trailed down his faceplates and his vents worked over time to try and cool his over heating frame. He was crying, there was a cut on his servo, he was missing another important figure in his life, he felt so helpless, and there was yet another piece of office equipment broke.

Only now he was alone. There was no Nicole to heal the cut on his finger. She wasn't there to comfort him. She couldn't bring back herself as she had done with Jazz.

Nicole was probably already dead.

Then…that spark of stubbornness in Prowl ignited.

No, he wouldn't give up. Not yet. Not now. Not when there was still a chance.

Prowl stood up, wiping away the bright blue Energon tears. No, no matter how much Nicole was convinced she was going to die, Prowl was going to do everything in his power to make sure she lived.

He had made the mistake of giving up on ever seeing his bondmate alive again. He was not going to make the same with his adopted creation.

* * *

The brig was eerily quiet as Prowl entered.

If there was one mech that needed to know of his plan, it was Barricade. The SIC wasn't sure if someone had already given the mech his letter from Nicole, but he could only imagine what Barricade must have been feeling if someone had. It made Prowl wonder if it was better to have some word of goodbye with your bondmate than none at all.

Prowl stopped cold. Bondmate. Barricade still shared the bond with Nicole. If Nicole was dead… Prowl sent one small prayer to Primus, hoping that he wouldn't have to call Ratchet when he found Barricade.

The black and white mech stopped abruptly in front of the cell.

The Mustang was hunched over in the corner, on his knees and his arms wrapped around himself. On the floor was the small letter, and two cubes of Energon, one mid grade and the other high grade. There was bright blue Energon tears on his faceplates. Barricade wasn't making a single sound.

"Barricade?" Prowl asked softly.

The mech didn't move or make a sound. Nothing. Prowl had heard of Transformers freezing in their present position when their bondmate died, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was what happened with the mech before him.

"Barricade?" Prowl repeated, louder.

Finally Barricade reacted. The mech flinched, before looking up slowly. The SIC had never seen his so open with his emotions. Pain was written clearly on his faceplates. Barricade's mouth moved, but all that came out was static. A growl sounded in his vocalizer, and the Mustang slowly stood up, almost as if it pained him. There was a glare on Barricade's faceplates. "You."

Prowl was unsure of what to say as the mech walked up to the Energon bars. "Where is he?"

Now confused, the tactician asked, "What?"

"Jazz, dammit! Where is he?" Barricade snarled.

Instantly Prowl's doorwings flared up in defense of his bondmate and he fixed Barricade with his most stern look. "Why?"

"Because he _knew._" The other mech said quietly, all anger and fight draining from him. "He knew about this. Nicole told him. And he did nothing to stop her. And now she's gone. I wasn't able to stop her from leaving, because I didn't know. Why didn't she _tell me?_"

Voice barely above a whisper, Barricade said, "I feel so helpless."

Prowl's doorwings lowered from their position as he couldn't help agreeing to the Mustang's last statement. Reminding himself of why he was here, he said, "Barricade, we know where the Decepticon base is. We can still save Nicole."

"No, we can't." Said a voice quietly.

Both Barricade and Prowl looked towards the entrance of the brig to see Jazz, visor dim. The silver mech looked up as he walked closer. "Nicole didn' want us ta save her. She said that if she didn' die, the universe would be destroyed. She made her decision ta leave so she could make sure that didn' happen. We should respect her choice."

Barricade snarled loudly, glaring at the saboteur. _"She told you!" _He shouted.

Jazz stared at the floor. "I know. Trust me, 'Cade, I would've told ya in a spark beat. But she told me not ta tell ya. I'm sorry."

"You should be!" The Mustang shouted, anger growing. "Now look at what's happened! She's gone! This is all your fault!"

Prowl stepped between his sparkmate and Barricade. "Calm down, Barricade. None of this is any of Jazz's fault as much as it is yours."

Barricade growled lowly and started pacing in his cell. After a few moments, he whirled around, optics blazing. "So what are we going to do, then? Let them kill her? Let Shockwave use her body to perform experiments?"

Both mechs outside the cell flinched, and the Mustang went on. "Don't deny it. He'll just use her body for some experiment. He'll- He'll-" Barricade grew frustrated and punched the wall with a snarl, leaving a good size dent. "They'll mutilate her body. I'm not going to let that happen. Let me out of this damn cell."

Prowl looked up and watched as Barricade started pacing his cell again. "Barricade, remember the spark bond. If they do kill Nicole, it will kill you, too."

"Don't you think I know that?" His voice was sharp and cold. "I'm glad. If they kill Nicole, I'll gladly welcome death."

Jazz stepped around Prowl. "Nicole's goin' ta break the bond."

"What?" Both Prowl and Barricade asked. Prowl sounded shocked, while Barricade sounded more scared.

The Mustang shook his helm. "No. She wouldn't do that to me. Nicole wouldn't do that. She loves me-"

"Which is why she's doin' it, 'Cade." Jazz interrupted quietly. "Nicole _knows _she's goin' ta die. She certain of it. She didn' want ya ta die with her."

"How do you know?"

"She told me ta watch out fer ya after she's gone."

Now Barricade looked more scared than angry. "No. She can't do that. She _can't_. I don't believe you-" The mech broke off suddenly, frozen.

After a few tense moments of silence, Prowl said, "Barricade?"

There was no response from the mech.

The SIC started to type in the code to shut the Energon bars off when Barricade gave a low keen and clutched at his chest, right above his spark chamber.

"Call Ratchet." Prowl said, deactivating the bars and walking in the cell. Jazz followed him in as the tactician bent down to the now kneeling Barricade. "Barricade, can you hear me? What's-"

Barricade suddenly curled in on himself even more. "No, no, no, no, no, _please_, Nicole! Don't leave me! No-" The mech went rigid for a moment, and then a choked scream came from him.

"Jazz, did you call Ratchet?" Prowl asked frantically over Barricade's scream

"Yeah, he said he was on his way-"

Before either mech could react, Barricade had pushed Prowl up against a wall, pressing him to it with one arm under his helm and pointing his cannon at Prowl's helm with the other with a growl.

Jazz reacted instantaneously, pressing his own cannon to Barricade's helm. "Calm down, Barricade. Jus' back away from Prowl."

Barricade ignored the smaller bot. In the mech's optics, Prowl could see that Barricade was having an internal struggle of some sort. He looked faraway, not all there. Off to the side, the tactician vaguely heard more bots arrive, but at the moment he was more concerned with the cannon shoved in his faceplates.

"_Please_, Nicole..." Barricade growled out. His optics became clouded, and, movements somewhat jerky, he slowly moved his cannon away from Prowl and backed away, releasing him. Then he went rigid again, and a soft keen escaped from Barricade's vocalizer. "Please, I love you... Don't do this to me." The last part was barely whispered before there was a small gasp. The Mustang keened as he put a servo over his spark chamber. "No, Nicole, please come back…"

* * *

Nicole POV

/Barricade./ I barely whispered across the bond.

There was shock first, then relief and concern projected through the bond. /Nicole? Are you alright?/

Primus, it felt good to hear Barricade's voice again. /Yes, I'm alright. Listen, Barricade-/

/Why'd you leave?/ Barricade sounded hurt. /Why didn't you tell me?/

/I couldn't, babe. I'm so sorry. I wanted to so badly./

/Then why didn't you?/

/I couldn't!/ Again, I felt helpless. Better to get this out all at once. /Barricade, I have to break the bond./

Shock hit me like a ton of bricks. /What? No, you can't!/

/I'm sorry, but I have to! I don't want you to die!/

/No, no, we'll attack the Decepticon base, save you. You won't have to die-/

I smiled to myself. /I do, Barricade. I have to die. I can't be saved./

/_Don't_ _say that!_/ Barricade practically screamed across the bond.

/I'm so sorry, love. I love you and I always have. Please remember that and don't give up./

/No, no, no, no, no, _please_, Nicole! Don't leave me! No-/

I closed my eyes. Tears were streaming down the sides of my face. I suppressed the sob wanting to escape and braced myself for the emptiness. Loneliness.

Then I broke the bond.

It was as painful as I thought it would be, just not in the physical sense I thought. It was more of a mental thing. It's like that saying; you don't know what you have until it's gone. I felt so empty. That little part of Barricade in me was ripped away brutally, painfully, leaving me feeling more lonely than I had ever felt. Even more lonely than I had felt after my parents died.

Primus. It hurt. I hurt. I was hurting Barricade. Everything _hurt_.

Suddenly I felt a pull through the broken and fading bond, and I allowed myself to be pulled into Barricade's mind. I saw what he saw, heard what he heard, and could see what he was doing.

Which was pinning Prowl up against a wall with a cannon pressed against his helm.

In my mind, I screamed. /Barricade! Stop!/

I heard Barricade growl. "_Please_, Nicole…"

I was scared out of my wits at the moment, but I gently took control of Barricade's body. He wasn't making it easy. I forced Barricade to release Prowl and step back. When I was sure he wasn't going to attack Prowl again, I gave control back to Barricade.

The bond was fading fast. I barely heard my former spark mate's words. "Please, I love you… Don't do this to me."

/I'm sorry, Barricade. I've already done it. I love you./

The last thing I heard was, "No, Nicole, please come back…"

Then the bond was gone.

The sob I had been fighting escaped. Barricade, my beautiful, wonderful Barricade, was gone. Gone forever.

I turned away from the still sleeping Stryker and curled in on myself, crying freely now.

I wished I was dead already. I hated this. I hated myself for all the things I had done to Barricade. I just wanted to die.

Barricade was gone. I was alone.

* * *

The Med bay was quiet.

Any other time, Ratchet would have welcomed the silence. But now it was disturbing.

Barricade sat on one of the medical berths, servo still placed over his spark chamber. The mech hadn't said a thing. He hadn't acknowledged anything or anyone. He just…acted catatonic. Ratchet had seen bondmates after their mate had died. Barricade fit the description to a T. Except for the fact that he hadn't died also.

So the only other option was that Nicole had broken the bond.

And based on what Prowl and Jazz had said they heard the Mustang say, that was exactly what had happened.

Ratchet had read and reread Nicole's letter to himself so many times he had lost count. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't bring himself to it. All he felt was the deep piercing pain of grief. And, like any other time he felt low, Ratchet got out his high grade stash.

Prowl and Jazz were in Prime's office, probably discussing their next move. Attempt a rescue or not.

Ratchet heard the Med Bay doors swoosh open from his office, and he stood up, swaying just a bit. "What do you want?" He snapped.

Prowl stood rigidly in the door way, gazing down at the floor. "Optimus has agreed to a rescue party."

The neon yellow medic grunted. "Good. I'm coming."

Prowl stared at Ratchet for a moment, before saying flatly, "You're over energized."

"And?"

"Ratchet, I do not think it is wise to attempt an attack on the Decepticon base over energized-"

"Mute it, Prowl. I've done surgery on you while over energized before. Are you dead?"

"…..No?" Prowl said, trying to get over Ratchet doing surgery while drunk.

"Okay then. If I can do surgery over energized, I'm sure I can shoot some 'Cons helms off over energized. Who else is coming?"

Prowl contemplated how to answer that before saying, "Jazz is gathering up volunteers right now."

"So basically anyone that volunteers."

"Yes."

"That'll be the whole damn base, Prowl."

"I know."

Ratchet sighed noisily. "The more the better."

"I'm coming." Said a quiet voice.

Both Ratchet and Prowl jumped at Barricade's voice. Ratchet recovered quicker and snapped, "What?"

Barricade glared at him with sharp cold optics. "I'm coming. I'm not going to stay here while I could be saving my sparkmate. Nicole may have broken the bond, but I still consider her my sparkmate. She may have given up, but I haven't."

The room was quiet for a few moments. Then Prowl said, "Are you sure, Barricade?"

"Try to stop me and I'll fragging kill you." Barricade snapped.

There was a pause before Ratchet said lightly, "He's sure."

* * *

Nicole POV

I had cried myself to sleep.

But this time I wasn't woken up by being electrocuted with the stupid fragging collar. No, this time I was woken up by some very unpleasant screeching, some pitiful and loud wails, and distress coming from the wide open of Stryker.

Instantly I was awake. Fatigue hit me hard, and the painfully loud absence of Barricade hit me harder. That nearly broke me down again, but I forced myself to sit up for Stryker. Blinking, I looked around. "What the frag is going on?"

I stared at the scene in front of me. Megs and Screamer were having a battle of wits, Starscream being the louder of the two, and I didn't need to be telepathic to feel the waves of anger coming off Megatron. Soundwave was holding Stryker with surprisingly gentle servos, looking like he was trying to calm the sparkling.

/Stryker, sweetspark, calm down, please./ I said over the bond, sending reassuring waves of comfort to him. I stood up so I could face the bots outside the cage. "Uh, hello? Grown mechs outside the cage acting like sparklings, can you look over here for a sec?"

Soundwave did, and so did Stryker. My little sparkling was starting to gain just the faintest of color. A dark slate gray with a few black accents to his armor. Said sparkling stopped crying when he saw me (Soundwave _may _have looked a tiny bit relieved) and reached out with a small pitiful whine. It was so cute and yet it made me angry that someone was keeping me from the little bitty sparkling.

So instead of wasting time trying to get Megatron's attention, I poked in Soundwave's helm. Despite what he showed on the outside, the Communications officer actually _did _have emotions. Soundwave's mind was calm, calmer than Jazz, and ordered. Something along the lines of worry flitted through his mind, mostly for Stryker's' welfare and the looming threat of a fight breaking out between Megatron and Starscream. Irritation at Starscream for opening his mouth lingered there, too. Delving a little bit deeper, I found the love that Soundwave held for his creations.

There was more than to the TIC than he let on. A lot more.

_Soundwave? _I asked inside his mind.

He showed no emotion, beside tilting his helm to the side a bit to acknowledge me.

I sighed out loud, but said, _Can put Stryker back in here with me?_

_Request denied._

If I hadn't been mad at the comment, I would've laughed at how much he sounded like a computer saying, 'Access denied'. _Please, Soundwave! Stryker needs me. Just…..please!_

I could sense Soundwave weighing his options, and a few moments later he thought, _Lord Megatron's orders: take care of sparkling._

_Screw the fragger and his orders! _I snapped. _He said that I could keep Stryker in here! _I guess it wasn't that surprising that Megatron had lied, but…that didn't mean I was any less angry about it.

Soundwave had made up his mind. Stryker wasn't going to be put back in the cage anytime soon. So the best I could do at the moment was comfort my sparkling through the bond while Megatron and Starscream had their cat fight.

After what had to be another fifteen minutes, I asked Soundwave, _Does this happen regularly?_

He didn't answer, but from what I gained from his mind, the answer was: yes.

Finally I got fed up. Whistling, I got the attention of Screamer and Megsy. "Girls, girls, you're both pretty. Now, can we get on with it?"

"_Silence_, fleshie!" Starscream snapped at me.

Megatron growled before promptly smacking Starscream over the helm. "_I _give orders here, Starscream. Not _you_." Then the Decepticon warlord turned to glare at me. "Silence, girl."

I resisted the urge to face palm and point out how stupid it was to repeat Starscream's words.

The Decepticon warlord turned back to glare at Starscream. "I don't _care_ if you are Second in Command, Starscream, this protoform is going to be my predecessor."

Starscream was visibly getting frustrated. It was actually pretty funny to watch. He pointed a claw at Stryker, who seemed oblivious to the open debate that involved him. "But it is so _weak_! It cannot possibly lead the Decepticon army!"

"Of course it is weak, you dim-witted scrap pile! It's a _sparkling_. Strength will come to it as it grows with the proper training!"

"Excuse me, but 'it'," I said in a matter of fact tone, "is named Stryker."

I must've hit poor Megsy's last nerve, because he gave an angry roar and turned to point his fusion cannon at me.

It seemed like everyone in the room froze, waiting to see what would happen. Stryker's low whines and the heavy cycling of Megatron were the only sounds in the room.

Squashing down the nervousness and fear I felt, I shrugged with my hands on my hips. "So what? Shoot me. See what good it will do you. But if I was you, Megsy, I'd shoot him." I nodded at Starscream.

The look on Screamer's faceplates was worth it.

With a low growl, Megatron lowered his fusion cannon. There was something in his optics that made me uneasy as he watched me. A…questioning glint. Like I was being tested or examined. Something in my gut told me that it'd just be trouble for me later.

Without taking his optics off me, Megatron said, "Soundwave, take the sparkling to Hook to have it examined and fed. From now on, it is in your care." The Communications officer gave one nod. "Starscream, take the girl to Shockwave's lab and inform him that he can start preparing the cryogenic chamber."

While I froze at the mention of cryogenic chambers, Starscream got even bitchier than he was before. "What- _No!_ Soundwave can do it, or some other bot-"

"It was an _order_."

"I have better things to do than cart around some organic fleshie-"

"Do it, Starscream, before I follow the girl's advice and _do _shoot you."

That shut Screamer up (amazingly). He walked closer to my cage, which was set on a table, and none-too-happily picked it up. The sudden change from flat surface to being carried by a giant robot made me fall over, prompting me to curse.

As Starscream walked out the sliding door, I heard Stryker start to cry. The sound was muffled, almost far away to me. It concerned me, but I was helpless to do anything.

Besides. I was focusing on how much time I had left. Now I was alone, so it was the only thing to look forward.

As soon as the door slid closed, the proverbial doomsday clock started ticking away in the back of my mind.

_Tick, tick, tick…_

* * *

Smart Me: I do not like angst. But this time in the story calls for it.

Creative Me: You think you got it bad. I have to write the stuff. You're just spokesperson.

Smart Me: It _was _Original Me's job, but she…ah, took a hike. *looks towards Abusive Me, who is grinning and sitting on a suspicious looking trunk that has muffled thumps coming from it*

Abusive Me: *suddenly scowls as all eyes turn towards her* What're you looking at?

Smart Me: *clears throat smartly and clasps hands behind her* Anyways, I have taken control and rounded up the rambunctious Me's, so everything is now neat and ordered. Only the Nice and Smart Me's remain.

Random Me: *shouts from inside closet, where she's locked in with every other Me* CONTROL FREAK!

Nice Me: *frowns* That wasn't very nice.

*silence in the room*

Abusive Me: *in a quiet voice* It's….quiet. And boring.

Smart Me: Isn't that what you wanted?

Abusive Me: *looks unsure* Yeah….

Normal Me: I like it. It's very normal.

Creative Me: That's because you're Normal, dumbass.

Nice Me: That wasn't very nice.

Smart Me: No it wasn't. Nice Me, would you kindly escort her to the closet?

Nice Me: Okay! *happily starts to drag Creative to the closet*

Creative Me: *glares at Smart* You're demented. And I'm taking my laptop.

Nice Me: *hands Creative laptop and shuts her in closet with every other me* Bye!

Smart Me: The reason this chap took so long was because we went on vacation, without our laptop, and we've been having trouble thinking of a name for Stryker.

Me: *from inside trunk* How'd you like the chap? Good? Great? Please review if you want to set me free!

Smart Me: What happened to the gag?

Me: I ate it. Review, kind readers!

**Silverfire's Shadow: **Thanks for the help with Stryker's name!

**Artemis: **The 'Walking Computer' is Soundwave.

**All Reviewers: **Thanks for all your wonderful support! We're almost there!


	23. Crescendo

Chapter 23:

Low conversation filled the C-17 that was going to drop the Autobots near the Decepticons underground base in a remote desert. It was only by miracle that Blaster had managed to track Ravage back to the base two years earlier. There were three other C-17's, two filled with selected Autobots and the other with NEST soldiers. Blaster and Wheeljack had worked together to build and program a disruptor that hid their signals from any prying scanners.

On the plane was Optimus Prime, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Ratchet, the Corvette twins, and Barricade. Prime, Prowl, and Ironhide were debating the best plan of action in attacking the base while Sideswipe pestered Sunstreaker out of sheer boredom, with Ratchet unfortunately sandwiched between them. Jazz was sitting quietly by his mate, trying to decide if it was a good idea or not to try and speak to Barricade, who hadn't said a thing since getting on the plane.

"_Mechs_," the human pilot said over the intercom, "_Approximately 3 minutes until we reach our drop point. Get ready to jump._"

Finally making his decision, Jazz stood up and walked over to where Barricade had been sitting the whole time. "'Cade…"

"What?" He snapped, optics flaring brightly as he looked up.

"I…," Jazz started, but couldn't think of the words to say. What _could _he say? 'Sorry I didn't tell you that I knew your spark mate was going to die, and now it may be too late'? Jazz felt Prowl nudge against him in the bond, sending a wave of questioning. He reassured his mate before turning his attention back to Barricade, who was looking at the floor again, shoulders hunched. "I…I guess I jus' wanted ta say I'm sorry."

"Aren't we all," the Mustang whispered, optics dimmed to their lowest setting.

Jazz went on. "Mech, each and everyone of us is gonna do their best to save Nicki. We all want her back."

"And what if it's too late? What if she's dead already? What then, Jazz?" Barricade said harshly, looking up again with a glint in his optics.

"Can't give up hope yet, 'Cade," Jazz said with a weak grin. Then the grin turned dark. "Primus help any 'Con who does hurt her."

The back of the C-17 opened, and the others stood up, preparing to jump. Barricade stood up and walked past Jazz to the opening to stand beside Prime, who was just getting ready to jump. "If they even fragging touched her, I'll kill them all." Then the black and white mech jumped out before even Optimus could, leaving the commander looked bewildered and the twins snickering. With whoops of glee, they jumped out after Barricade.

Prime was next, after getting over his shock. Prowl looked over the edge, looking irritated. Jazz came up from behind him, grinning. "What's wrong, Prowler? Scared?"

"It's just a long way down." The tactician replied icily and just a tad bit defensive. Hearing the saboteur's snort, Prowl pointed over at Ironhide, who was also looking over the edge with a gruff look on his faceplates. "I'm not the only one."

Ratchet, already at his wit's end because of the twins, simply rolled his optics. "Oh, get over it, you big sparkling." And then he pushed the Weapons Specialist out.

The remaining mechs could hear Ironhide swearing on an open comm. all the way down.

As Ratchet jumped out himself, Jazz grabbed his mate's servo and grinned. "Let's go kick some 'Con aft!" Then he jumped out, pulling a cursing Prowl along.

::Ratchet,:: Ironhide said as his parachutes deployed,:: I hate you.::

::Join the club!:: Sideswipe crowed, enjoying the whole thing too much.

::You're all being reformatted into blenders when we get back.:: Ratchet intoned darkly.

Prowl muttered something that sounded like 'idiots', but no one could be sure.

* * *

Nicole POV

When I usually am nervous or uncomfortable, I try to distract myself. Either by annoying the crap out of the person nearest to me or starting a conversation. And at the moment, the only thing capable of conversation was Screamer, who had been sulking darkly the whole two minutes since we had left Megatron, Soundwave, and Styker.

"So, Screamer-"

"Shut up, fleshie."

And thus my attempt was brutally shot down.

"Hey," I snapped from my sitting position in the cage, "I was just trying to make conversation, you jackass. No need to bite my head off."

Starscream looked down at me with disgust. "Like I would ever want to converse with a puny fleshling like _you_." He made a noise of disgust. "Primus, the AllSpark couldn't have chosen a stupider Host, could it? You are about to _die. _You should be _screaming._ _Begging _for me to spare your useless life_._"

I shrugged. "Eh, screaming and begging aren't really my thing. No, I prefer to annoy people to death. Much more satisfying, don't you think, Screamer?"

"Don't _call _me _that_, human." He hissed.

"Why not, _Screamer?_"

Whatever Starscream was going to snap back at me was cut off as a there was a flash of purple light and a shift in the air. Skywarp and Thundercracker dropped in front of us suddenly and it was all Starscream could do to not run into them.

There was a pause before Thundercracker smacked Skywarp over his helm. "I _told _you not to do that without a _warning_."

Skywarp cackled. "Admit it, TC, it was worth it. Did you even see Screamer's faceplates?"

Said Air Commander growled in annoyance, whether at the nickname or because he had been stopped. "Move. I don't have enough time to deal with you right now."

Skywarp totally ignored him, instead catching sight of me. He leaned closer, peering in the cage at me. "Oooh, a fleshie."

At a loss of what to do, I did the first thing that came to mind. I waved at him. "Hi."

The purple and black Seeker grinned and waved back. "Hello, human femme."

Starscream glared daggers at Skywarp. "You _idiot_, don't talk to it!"

"I'm a 'she', not an 'it'. Get your biology right, Screamer."

Skywarp thought I was funny, at least. Starscream didn't.

Thundercracker sighed, looking like he had dealt with Skywarp's special brand of stupidity thousands of times before. "'Warp, leave it alone before Starscream blows a gasket." Then he switched to Cybertronian. _"Is that the Host?"_

Starscream was still glaring balefully at Skywarp, who was trying to get my attention again. _"Yes. Megatron apparently had it drain it's powers into a sparkling frame."_

"_Sparkling frame?"_

Starscream sneered. _"A successor."_

Thundercracker looked at me curiously. _"So, did it work?"_

"_Our mighty leader seems to think so. The sparkling is alive, but it shows no signs of even containing AllSpark energy."_

"_Maybe they'll develop in time?"_

"_I doubt it. It will be dead before it reaches it's second frame."_

Thundercracker shot him a disbelieving look. _"You're going to kill a _sparkling, _Starscream?"_

I felt myself go cold at the blue jet's words. Would Starscream really kill a sparkling, just for power?

Said silver and black jet hissed. _"No, you idiot! The AllSpark energy would be too much for a simple sparkling frame! It will kill it soon!"_

I felt myself relax. I knew that the AllSpark energy wouldn't kill Stryker. No, if the AllSpark had a purpose for Stryker, than it wouldn't kill him.

Suddenly Starscream's comm. beeped. With a snarl, he opened it and I hacked into the frequency. ::What now?::

Shockwave's cold voice came through the other end. ::Starscream, are bringing the Host?::

::Yes! I'm on my way!:: Without waiting for a reply, the Decepticon SIC shut the comm. Then aloud, he said, "Shockwave demands my presence elsewhere. Now, move."

Skywarp finally lost interest in me and grinned at his trine mate. "We'll come with you, Screamer!"

Starscream just pushed past him with a growl. "No, you won't."

My head spun a bit from the sudden movement again, but I ignored that and the Seekers bickering, thinking. Would Stryker really be safe in a base full of Decepticons? As far as I knew, Starscream was the only mutinous one, but…still. I wanted my sparkling to be safe. Soundwave had experience in caring for sparklings with his symbiotes, but that was one mech. I highly doubted that Megatron would actually care about Stryker, as long as he stood up to his standards for a good successor. I didn't trust any Decepticon, and I never would, even if my life depended on it. But this wasn't about me. This was about Stryker, my innocent, little sparkling that would be alone in a Decepticon base surrounded by Decepticons that didn't give a frag about him, much less want to care for him.

As much as I hated to admit it, I'd have to trust some 'Con to watch over my little Stryker.

The first 'Con that popped in my head: Thundercracker.

I honestly couldn't believe my thought process at the moment. I knew from the AllSpark, that if it weren't for his trine mates, Thundercracker would've probably stayed Neutral. But his loyalty to Starscream and Skywarp was strong, the type of loyalty that came with siblings or bondmates. I didn't trust Thundercracker in the least, but I had to put aside my differences for Stryker.

I pictured myself cracking my knuckles and popping my neck. Well, here goes nothing…

I slipped into Thundercracker's mind, bracing myself against the thoughts and emotions. _Thundercracker._

The blue Seeker, who had been walking behind the arguing Starscream and Skywarp, jolted to stop with a startled look on his faceplates. He looked wildly around before his optics settled on me with a shocked look.

Unfortunately, Starscream and Skywarp noticed. Both of the Seekers stopped to turn and look at him, giving me a better view of him from my cage. I can imagine the looks he was getting from them.

"TC…," Skywarp said uncertainly, "You okay?"

I sent him a pleading look. _Please don't say anything, Thundercracker. At least hear me out._

He opened his mouth, before shutting it again and then repeating the action. Just when I thought he was going to tell them, Thundercracker looked back to his trine mates. "Nothing. Just still a little dizzy from warping."

Apparently they believed him, because after hesitating for a few moments, they started walking again, returning to their argument.

_What do you want, human?_ I heard Thundercracker inside of his own helm.

I took a deep breath before steeling my resolve again. _I want to ask you a favor._

_I owe you no favor. _

_Please! Just listen, at least!_

I could feel the blue Seeker struggling with himself. I had begun to lose hope of ever getting through to him when he said, _I'll listen, but I won't agree._

_I…_Pausing, I wondered exactly how to say this. _I…want you to take care of Stryker. _

_Of what? _

_Stryker, the sparkling Starscream was talking about. Megatron's successor._

_The one you brought to life,_ He said flatly. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

_Yes. Can you watch out for him after I'm gone? I don't want to leave him in a place surrounded by 'Cons that don't give a damn whether he lives or dies._

There was a pause. Then, _What do I get out of it?_

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. _Thundercracker, honestly? Do you really want something out of it? Can't you just do it out of the goodness of your spark? _

Thundercracker said nothing.

_Please! He's just a sparkling. I feel responsible for him. I brought him to life, only to be in a place where he won't have friends. _

There was a mental sigh. _You really do care, don't you?_

_Humans have emotions, too, Thundercracker. We aren't stupid. Well, most of us._

It was another good minute before I felt acceptance in the Seeker's mind. _Fine. I'll make sure nothing happens to him. _

I felt relief flood me. I know I wouldn't have been able to rest in death if he had said no. _Thank you._

There was a pause, before he asked, _You know you're going to die?_

The weight of knowing came back, and I felt so tired again. _Yes. I know. _

_You don't think the Autobots will try to save you?_

_They might. But my death was sealed a long time ago. It's already too late._

Just as I said that, Starscream stopped in front of a door with Cybertronian glyphs on it. I didn't bother reading them since I knew what they said. As the doors slid open, the air turned colder. I tried my best not to look around, because that just made the fear in the pit of my stomach grow until I was physically cold and sick.

My cage was thrown on a table. To say it just jarred me would be an understatement. Impact against a metal floor hurts pretty fragging bad.

"_Here_, Shockwave. Have fun with the little fleshie." I heard Starscream's screechy voice.

"Commander Starscream, send my sincerest regards to Lord Megatron for allowing me the privilege of using this human in my experiments."

It was impossible to not look up at that voice.

Peering in my cage with the interest reserved for test subjects, Shockwave studied me like some new puzzle. It chilled me to my core. Still, I forced myself to look him in his one optic and lift my head. "Do your worst, Shockwave."

He hummed thoughtfully. "Still resistant? No matter. That will be taken care of."

More words were said between Starscream and Shockwave, but I was too busy trying to turn down the buzzing noise that came with fear in my ears. I almost missed the Seekers moving to the door. Thundercracker shot me a look that may have been pity, but before I could focus on it I screamed as I was electrocuted again with the collar. So Shockwave had the codes, too. Joy.

This electrocution lasted longer than any of the others had. At some point I stopped screaming, instead just writhing on the floor of my cage. Primus, it _hurt._ Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. My brain felt fuzzy. All I could really do was just lay there as I felt my self being picked up by a servo and pulled out of my cage.

Then I was laid on the table, but I couldn't move even if I wanted to. While I tried to recover, in the back ground I could hear shuffling and things being moved. Just as I began to regain feeling in my fingers and feet, I felt the air beside me shift. Suddenly someone was standing over me. I felt a cold hand feel along my neck, before there was a small prick and something was injected.

All I could do was groan, because at the moment my limbs weren't working. I did manage to open my eyes, though. And then I wished I hadn't.

Because Shockwave's holoform had no face.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget the image. It- It wasn't _right._ It was disturbing.

Whatever he had put in me, it was cold. The feeling spread from my neck to the rest of my body. Almost like it had been liquid ice had been injected directly in my veins. I was only when I started trembling uncontrollably did I realize something was seriously wrong.

"Fragger," I hissed through chattering teeth, "What'd you do to me?"

Opening my eyes, I saw Shockwave was working on…something. It was like a horizontally-laying glass pod on a stand. There were small dime-sized holes in the floor of it. It was just big enough for a human to lay down in it.

A human…

Oh.

Shockwave didn't even glance at me. "It's going to speed up the process of freezing your body in the cryogenic pod. As we speak, the formula I created is crystallizing your blood cells."

"_What?_" I managed to say louder. By now I had curled up in a ball, wishing I had kept my jacket.

"I have other projects that require my immediate attention, so cryogenic preservation is the best option for the moment."

"But that'll kill me!"

"I do not need you alive to perform the experiments, girl."

By now I couldn't think straight enough to form a reply, so I settled for trying to warm myself up.

I don't know how much time passed - three minutes, three hours - but suddenly I was picked up by Shockwave. Before I could even think of a protest, he had put me in the cryogenic chamber and shut the glass cover.

It was even colder in the pod. There was a slight hum, and then a hiss as a white gas sprayed out of the holes to fill the pod. I coughed, before I realized that breathing in the gas was a mistake as cold spread to my lungs. A tear rolled down my face. It froze halfway as the air dropped to life threatening temperatures. I drew my arms and knees up to my chest, but it sent pins and needles through me because my muscles were growing stiff from the cold.

I refused to close my eyes, despite how the frigid air hurt my eyes and how heavy my eyelids felt. If I closed my eyes, I would want to keep them shut forever. As death crept closer, I felt myself resisting more and more. I didn't want to die. Not this way. Not now.

I started to cough again, and this time it lasted for a minute.

This whole time, it was silent except for the hissing from the holes. But…now I could hear something outside the pod… Something like…an alarm. Did Shockwave have an alarm clock?

But then I managed to look past the white gas circulating in the pod. I could just barely see flashing red lights.

It was the base alarm.

That meant either an intruder. Or intruder_s_.

Somehow I knew that the Autobots had indeed come for me. There was that gut feeling, and then there was the feeling in my heart telling me that Barricade was near by. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or not.

Something moved outside the pod. Something silver.

The thought had just crossed my mind when the gas being sprayed in the pod suddenly stopped and the humming stopped, too. Then there was something scratching at the edges of the glass before the glass cover lifted up with a small hiss.

I sucked in my first breath of fresh air. Compared to the gas in the pod, the air outside felt like 95 degrees now.

I expected to see Shockwave's one red optic, but instead I was met with a bright blue visor. Suddenly I was being lifted out by gentle silver claws. "Primus, Nicki…"

It took my muddled brain a few seconds to recognize Jazz in the flashing red lights of the alarm. I coughed again, still shivering. "Jazz?"

The silver mech clutched me to his chest plates. I could feel his spark pulsing warmly beneath his armor and I tried to soak up as much of that as I could. "Yeah, Nicki, it's me… Ya're alive. Primus, ya're alive… Are ya okay? What'd they do ta ya?"

I hissed, still freezing. "Shockwave…gave me something…" I broke into a coughing fit again and I vaguely felt him rubbing my back. "He said it's…going to freeze…my blood cells."

"Then we need ta find Ratchet-"

"No, Jazz," I managed to look up in his visor. "Did…Did everyone get their letters?"

"Yeah." Jazz's visor was dim. "I tried ta tell them not ta come…"

"Can you…take me to Barricade? I have to see him one last time."

"Nicki, we're here now, ya aren't goin' ta die-"

I smiled sadly. "Yes, I am, Jazz. This was how it was supposed to happen. Tell everyone I'm sorry. Be careful and stay alive."

Before he could say anything else, I locked onto a random Cybertronian signature and used that to pinpoint exactly where I would transwarp. In a flash of blue, I was gone and dropped into a hallway.

There was a battle raging around me. Explosions, cannon fire, and guns were going off, making my ears ring. At least it was warmer out here. There were several mechs crowding the halls, and just small pockets of humans here and there. I couldn't tell which mechs were Bots or 'Cons, but I could tell the humans were NEST. No one seemed to notice me, and I was glad.

I was still freezing, but it seemed like the cold was with drawing. Either I was closer to death than I thought, or the AllSpark was doing like it had with Ratchet's sedative and making the formula wear off. It still felt like my legs and arms were asleep, but I managed to start limping along the wall where I wouldn't be stepped on.

* * *

I was close to Barricade. I could _feel _it. My Barricade. My soul mate, spark mate, and the one I wanted to be with the rest of my life. I had to see him before I died, to make sure he was alive.

I nearly screamed as a pede came down right beside me. It belonged to a Decepticon. That was third or fourth time. It was a miracle I hadn't been shot already-

Pain blossomed in my side as a bullet ricocheted off of something and hit me on my right side. I could literally feel the bullet lodged in my lung. And I thought the electrocution had hurt. Boy, was I wrong. I coughed, feeling and tasting the coppery taste of blood in my throat.

I tried to take another few steps, holding my side, but it hurt too much before I had to stop. I could feel the blood filling my lungs because it was so hard to breathe. But I had to reach Barricade. I _had _to. And he was so close…

A particularly loud explosion had my ears ringing. Wincing, I pressed myself closer to the wall. Or, at least what I _thought _was a wall.

The Not-a-Wall slid out from behind me. With a small squeak I fell back into a new room. By some miracle, the Decepticon that came out of the room ran right past me without noticing me.

From my sprawled-out position on the floor, it looked like a big storage room full of shelves, containing spare parts, weapons, and other junk. It was easily as big as the Rec room at the Autobot base.

I sat up just in time to see the door about to slide close on my feet. I jerked them back in time, hissing as the motion jarred the bullet wound.

"_Frag_," I hissed in pain. Now I was stuck in this room, seeing as I couldn't reach the key panel and I didn't think I had enough AllSpark energy left to mess with the codes. Wonderful.

I started coughing again, and this time I tasted the blood in my mouth. I spit the blood out. "Disgusting." Pressing a hand to the bullet wound, I hobbled my way to a low shelf and sat down. I may not have had a comm. link like the Autobots, but I had something even better. Telepathy.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pain and sounds of warfare, and cast my senses out, searching for Barricade's mind. I found him not that far away in a corridor. Using that as a beacon, I entered Barricade's mind gently. _Barricade._

There was surprise, then, _Nicole-_

Whatever the Mustang said, I didn't hear it because I was suddenly none-too-gently grabbed by a large servo.

My eyes flew open and I immediately screamed, because:

One, the mech was squeezing me tight enough to break a few ribs and aggravate my bullet wound further.

And two, 'the mech' was Megatron.

The silver mech just laughed. "Finally, you scream, fleshling."

I gritted my teeth at the pain, but forced myself to look up. "Screw you!"

Megatron's expression turned angry, and I just barely felt him squeeze tighter. "Tell me, girl, what makes you resistant still? What makes you stand up to me? Stupidity? Fear? Strength?"

"Strength, but mostly stupidity," I coughed, feeling the blood in my throat.

He laughed again, but the cruel look never left his optics. "It's a shame I'm going to kill you, girl. I might have kept you as a pet. But I'm going to inflict on you the pain that your creator caused me." Megatron leaned closer, smiling darkly. "Do you know what it's like to die, human?"

Before he could say anything else, the doors behind him slid open. Barricade stood there with Optimus, both of them already having their cannon at Megatron's helm.

Of course, only I saw this, since I was facing them and Megsy wasn't. And I had to admit, Barricade looked fragging murderous.

In all the years I had known Barricade, he had never done a single stupid thing. But as he lunged at Megatron right now, I was forced to change that opinion. Because attacking the Decepticon leader who was a good two helms taller than him was pretty slagging stupid.

Sweet, but stupid.

Several things happened at once. Barricade all but jumped on Megatron's back. Optimus shouted something, probably telling the Mustang not to attack Megatron, and started to join in, but another 'Con in the hallway jumped on _his _back and pulled him out in the hallway again. Oh, and I was dropped from who-knows-how-many feet.

I remember in school that our science teacher had said once that if you fell a hundred feet onto a body of water, it'd feel like hitting the sidewalk. Well, I wasn't being dropped on water, but actual concrete. And it _hurt. _Really, I should have been dead, but instead I was just lay there like some rag doll. Limp. I was having trouble breathing, because of the blood in my lungs and the fall had knocked the air out of me.

Thankfully, I had fallen facing where Barricade and Megatron were have their brawl. My black and white mech may have lacked in strength and size, but he was getting a few good hits in on Megatron by dodging around him, using the speed of his smaller size. Pride swelled in me, and if I didn't hurt so much, I may have even smiled.

But it was all replaced with cold dread when the silver warlord's servo lashed out, catching Barricade by his neck.

Megatron pushed the Mustang up to the wall, aiming his fusion cannon at his spark chamber. I was pulled back to that trip to Wal-Mart, which seemed so far off now. Terror makes things seem so much slower than they really are happening. Megatron's fusion cannon powered up, building the charge. Adrenaline made any pain in my body leave, and I stood up, ready to transwarp in front of that cannon pointing at my beloved's spark if I had to.

But I wasn't fast enough.

I heard the shot, saw it, and felt it as if it was my own pain. I think I screamed, but there was a few moments where everything just…spaced out.

The next thing I knew, I was kneeling beside Barricade's helm where Megatron had dropped him on the floor carelessly. The silver mech was now battling Optimus, who had either killed or gotten away from the 'Con from earlier. I was sobbing by now, running my hands over Barricade's slack faceplates.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to be dead, not Barricade. My kind, sweet, beautiful Barricade was dying in front of me. I was the one who was supposed to die, I was, not Barricade. How did everything go so horribly _wrong?_

Tears streamed down my face. "Barricade, please, please, _please,_ don't die! This- This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! I should be dead, not you! I'm so sorry…" I sobbed, the pain and grief in my chest making me bend over his helm. "I'm so sorry… It's all my fault… But I'm going to fix it, Barricade, I swear."

I had no idea if he heard me or not. His optics were totally shut off, systems were running almost silent, and I was kneeling in the pool of Energon that had gathered around him. It was terrifying, to see my mate's lifeblood on the floor.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go. This was all _wrong._

Wiping tears away from my face only to be replaced two seconds later, I stood up, ignoring the fact that the knees of my jeans had burned all the way through from the Energon and climbed on Barricade's chassis. It hurt to look at the jagged hole where his spark casing would be, but I used the AllSpark energy to coax his chest plates open all the way. His spark casing already had a hole blasted in it, and I could see Barricade's spark pulsing weakly.

Despite it being so weak, I couldn't help but think that Barricade's spark was beautiful.

"Stupid fragger," I sobbed, reaching in his spark casing to caress his spark, "I'm not letting you die."

Much like I had done to revive Jazz and create Stryker's spark, I poured AllSpark energy into his spark. I gave up every bit of it, willing it to strengthen his spark, but I had been low on AllSpark energy to begin with. It wasn't enough.

"Dammit, Barricade!" I screamed at him. "Live already!" I yanked off my necklace off my neck, breaking the wire and spilling the beads. Then I shoved it in his spark casing and started draining my own life energy through it into his spark.

It worked. Barricade's spark was sucking up my energy, sucking it out of me, and it grew brighter until it hurt to look at. I let it. I felt myself growing weaker, until, finally, I couldn't hold myself up anymore. I fell backwards, exhausted, but relieved. My beautiful Barricade would live. He was going to survive. I hadn't failed. He was going to live.

I felt more at peace than I had in a long time. Not resisting, I closed my eyes. Barricade was going to live. I could rest.

* * *

Barricade POV

When Megatron shot me, it had hit my spark directly. Instead of feeling pain, all I felt was…numb.

I could feel myself falling to the ground. A few seconds later, I felt small warm hands on my faceplates and tiny drops of liquid falling on my faceplates. _Nicole_… I wanted to hold her, tell her not to cry, that it would be alright, that it wasn't her fault. But I couldn't. All I felt was numb.

Then she started to open my chest plates. _No,_ I wanted to tell her, _Don't kill yourself saving me. _But she didn't listen.

As she drained the AllSpark energy into my spark, I felt myself growing stronger. But it wasn't enough. Nicole screamed at me, before shoving something in my spark casing. _Don't- Nicole, _stop_…_

But I could feel her life energy draining into my spark, making it stronger, and I was ashamed that my spark was pulling it from her. She was killing herself for me. I didn't want this. I didn't want Nicole to die saving me. It wasn't fair.

Nicole, having drained all of her energy, collapsed and fell to the floor. In my mind, I was screaming at her about how stupid she was for doing that, but I couldn't do much more. I could feel the AllSpark energy coursing through me, replacing Energon I had lost, repairing armor, filling the hole in my spark casing. It was a few more moments before I could even move.

Distantly, I heard Megatron call a retreat, but I was more focused on Nicole as I struggled to sit up. My spark froze when I saw her. I thought she was dead until I scanned her and found her heart beating weakly. She had so much blood staining her right side, and she was so _pale._

I turned my holoform on so I could brush her hair from her face. Primus, it felt like it had been forever since I had seen her. Gently, I put both my hands on either side of her face and brushed one cheek with my thumb. "Nicole…," I whispered, feeling the tears gather in both my holoform's eyes and my own optics.

Her eye lids fluttered for a moment, before she opened them halfway to look at me. It terrified me that her irises were already going cloudy. She smiled weakly. "Barricade."

I smiled shakily. "You're an idiot, for draining your energy like that."

Nicole closed her eyes. "It was for a good purpose."

"Please, Nicole, look at me," I said desperately. "Don't close your eyes yet. I'm going to comm. Ratchet so he can come and fix you."

She laughed a little, but it sounded sad, lacking the life that it usually contained. "No, Barricade. I'm already dead. No one can fix me now."

"Don't say that. Please."

"Can you- " Nicole broke off as she started coughing. Gently, I turned her on her side as she coughed up blood, staining her lips. When it was over, she looked even paler. Still, she looked up at me. "Turn off your holoform. I want to see the real you."

I did as she said and kneeled down to her, cupping my servos around her body. Nicole shakily reached up and brushed her fingertips over my faceplates. Then she whispered, "Barricade… Promise me you'll keep living. For me."

"I won't have to, because you're going to live, Nicole. I swear."

My Nicole sighed, frowning at me. "You're crying, 'Cade."

"I don't care." I snapped. "I'm not letting you die."

She smiled again, looking sad. "But I am going to die. Just know that I love you, Barricade. I'll be waiting for you in the Matrix."

She was saying goodbye. Primus, no, no, no… But I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't. Energon tears streamed down my faceplates, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

Nicole looked over my shoulder, looking at…something. Suddenly a tear slid down her face, and she smiled. "I see them, 'Cade. My parents. They came for me."

_No, no, no…Please, Primus, if you're even listening to me, don't take her from me…_

Nicole looked back to me, but I don't think she could see me. "Goodbye, Barricade. I love you, and I'll be waiting for you."

"No! Please, Nicole, don't leave me! Please…" I whispered, but it was too late. My Nicole was dead.

Nicole Witwicky was dead.

My love, my one true love, was gone. And I was alone. I was so alone.

* * *

**The End**

…

…**Nah, I'm not that mean.**

* * *

Me: Okay, raise your hands: Who cried? *raises hand*

I'm going to make this short, because I don't have very much time left on here, so I'm going to spit it all out at once.

My laptop fried.

As in, it's now a piece of worthless junk that has no purpose anymore. I dragged my mom's dinosaur out and by some God-given miracle, got it working. So I'm typing the chapters on here, putting them on a flash drive when their done, and using either my dad's computer or grandparent's computer to post the new chap. So chaps will be slow in the coming months, especially with school starting up again. And it'll be who knows how long before I manage to buy a new PC, so, again, chaps might be slow.

Really, I wrote some this all in literally three days. It turned out pretty good in my opinion for a first draft.

But!…The story is not over. I will just say that. I have a feeling I'm going to be bricked after this one, though.

**Artemis: **No, I'm actually not turning that car into a Transformer. It's just the car that my dad races. And it actually is just a coincidence. I have read Tatyana's story and I loved it, too. And what reference to Megamind? I've seen that movie, too.

**Silverfire: **Thank you for letting me whine at you about my PC problems. Really. You're a great friend, Silverfire.

**All Reviewers and Readers:** Thank all of you for reading and reviewing! If it wasn't for the reviews, I wouldn't finish this.

Also, head over to DeviantArt . com (without the spaces) and check out **Loki7744's** pic she drew for me! It's called 'Transformers Ate the Rainbow'!

Just 4 more reviews till we reach 200! Yay!

The Me's will be returning next chapter, by the way.

Now, I'm going to hide behind a desk or something because I have a feeling there will be rocks and rotten vegetables….

**Review if you hate/love me and want to stone me!**


	24. God? No? Oh, Primus

Chapter 24:

"Come on, Barricade. Just try to drink a little Energon."

The black and white Mustang didn't even acknowledge Ratchet or the cube that was being held out to him. The medic sighed. He had been getting the same reaction for the past hour, ever since they had gotten back to base. The battle itself was a blur to Ratchet, but time had seemed to stop when they had found Optimus in the storage room with an in-shock Barricade and Nicole's dead body. The Decepticons had abandoned the base, retreating as they usually did, with Megatron shouting back insults at Prime. First Aid and Wheeljack were still tending to injured bots in the main bay, while Ratchet had taken Barricade into one of the private operating rooms.

Ratchet sighed and set the cube next to Barricade where he was sitting on the med berth, optics completely shut off and arms wrapped around himself. "Barricade," Ratchet's voice was unusually soft," You can't just give up on life. You can't starve yourself."

"Watch me." The mech snapped, not looking up from the floor. He had long since stopped crying, and those were the first words he had said since the battle had ended.

The neon yellow medic's anger flared up and he glared at Barricade, servos on his hips. "I can always put you in stasis and hook an Energon drip up to you."

Barricade finally looked up, his optics flaring brightly in distress. "Don't put me in stasis. _Please._ I don't want to see…_her._"

Ratchet's anger drizzled away slowly and he sighed. "Well, what can I do, Barricade? You can't hide forever-"

"Kill me."

"_What?_" Without waiting for an answer, he reached over and smacked the black and white mech on the helm, hard. "Are you out of your fraggin' mind, you stupid idiot? I'm not going to kill you, no matter if you want me to or not. I'm a medic. I took an oath a long, long time ago to do all within my power to _save_ bots, not kill them. Not once have I broke that oath, and I'm sure as Pit not starting now, fragger."

"But it hurts, Ratchet! My _spark!_ It hurts, and it hasn't stopped since she died!" Barricade voice started rising. "There's no point to keep on living, not if she's not here! She _was _my life! I feel so- so- so _empty_. Incomplete. Alone." He suddenly keened, servos pressed above the new armor over his spark chamber. "I just want it to _stop._ _Please._"

Ratchet felt his own spark pulse with grief, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. "Barricade, everyone of us is hurting right now. We all cared for her as much as you did. How do you think Prowl and Jazz feel? Prime? Ironhide? Bumblebee? Taylor and Willow? The twins?"

"Stop." The Mustang choked out. "Please. Stop."

The medic ignored him. "We all are mourning right now. You're not alone. We can all get through this, but you have to let us help you-"

"I don't want help!" Barricade snarled, optics flashing red for a few seconds. "I want to _die._ She gave up her life for me. She drained her life and AllSpark energy into my spark, just so I would live. And now she's dead and I'm alone."

Ratchet growled, feeling the anger in his spark grow. "You stupid, selfish mech. She gave her _life _for _you._ And you're going to throw that all away. If I killed you, her death would be for nothing. Nicole would want you to live, idiot." Barricade visibly flinched at Nicole's name. Ratchet pointed to the door of the private operating room, where on the other side in the main bay Nicole's body lay under a sheet. "That girl _loved _you, Barricade. Enough to give you her life. A Primus-given miracle, considering what you were and what you've done. But she loved you. And I know you loved her. You were lucky to have what time you could with her. Focus on the good memories you had with her, not the bad. Nicole would want you to live. Don't make her death in vain."

Barricade's optics had shut off his optics again, systems almost running silent. After what must have been a few minutes, Ratchet thought the mech wasn't going to reply, but then Barricade whispered, "Alright. I'll try."

The neon yellow medic smiled, a good, honest smile. "Good." He put his servo on Barricade's shoulder, prompting him to look Ratchet in the optic. "Barricade, we're going to get through this. All of us. I swear."

"I hope so," Came the muttered reply.

"We will," Ratchet said, more firmly. He nodded to the still-untouched cube. "Now, drink that. _All _of it."

Barricade just grunted, picking up the cube and swirling its contents.

The medic flicked his helm. "Don't play with your food. I'm going to go help Wheeljack and First Aid with the other bots. Are you injured?"

"No."

Ratchet nodded before walking to the door. "If you need anything else, comm. me." Right before he keyed open the door, the medic paused. "Barricade…You know that we're going to have to plan a funeral, right?"

The black and white shuttered his optics, the cube halfway to his mouth. "Yes."

* * *

/I had her right in my servos, Prowl. Right slaggin' there - _and I let her go_. Now- Now she's dead-/

/Shhh./ Prowl practically crushed Jazz against his chest, trying his best to comfort his mate. /Jazz, it's not your fault. Nicole knew what she was doing. It was her choice./

There were bright blue Energon tears streaked down both their faces. As soon as they had arrived back at base, Prowl had instantly taken Jazz back to their quarters before they both broke down. Now they were laying on their berth, trying to sort through the shock and grief while finding comfort in each others arms.

Jazz's visor had retracted, and now his optics were squeezed shut. /Nicki's dead, Prowl. Our baby girl - she's _gone._/

Prowl vented a shaky sigh, pulling the silver mech closer as he stared at the wall opposite of their berth blankly. /I know, Jazz. I know./

He knew all too well.

* * *

First Sam and Mikaela...and now...Nicole.

The medical-grade Energon cube in Bumblebee's servo glowed a sickly green color. It had gone cold and was still full since First Aid had gave it to him. He himself hadn't sustained any major injuries, but he was still in the Med Bay because Arcee had been forced into a medical stasis and was laying on the berth he was sitting beside. Stable and in stasis, but not dead, he reminded himself firmly. Still...

The yellow and black Camaro stared dully at his Energon. Nicole was dead. As much as he wanted to be able to believe that she wasn't, he couldn't. The proof was on the other side of the Med Bay under a small white sheet. But, _Primus_, how he wished she wasn't.

Bumblebee wasn't new to grief. Like everyone else in the Great War, he had lost friends and bots that he had called family. He had seen death. He had felt the pain, grief, and anger when Sam and Mikaela died. But it that was over a decade ago. The grief in Bumblebee's spark was still there, but it had dulled over the time he spent after he left the Autobots. It had become bearable. His first friend in_ years_ had been Jackie. He hadn't told her about the war, because he didn't want her to be at risk.

At risk of being just another person this damned war had taken from him.

Then it had happened again. Nicole this time (part of him couldn't help but think that the Witwicky's had extremely bad luck). This grief was new, fresh.

And it hurt just as much as the day Sam and Mikaela died.

* * *

Nicole POV

It was…peaceful.

I was laying down somewhere. Somewhere…comfortable. I don't know how to explain it. Perfect atmosphere, maybe? I must've been laying on a bed, and it was the softest bed I think I've ever laid in. The sheets felt like silk, and the pillow under my head felt the same. My eyes were closed, so of course it was dark. I took a deep breath, but there was something…lacking, from the action.

Oh well, my fuzzy mind decided, it's too peaceful to worry about something so meaningless. I just needed to relax, and go back to sleep. After all, no reason to waste a perfect bed…

I don't know how long I laid there, in peaceful bliss, but my subconscious realized that I had no idea who I was, where I was, or what I was even doing there. My mind felt blank. I was strangely okay with that. Besides, you don't need a name to enjoy bliss.

I was hanging somewhere between consciousness and the dark oblivion of sleep when I felt it. A small caress on my cheek. Unconsciously, I smiled a little. It reminded me of Barricade…

Barricade… Who was Barricade?

Something flitted through my mind. A flash of color… No, a picture. I tried to grasp at it, but as soon as I reached for it, it dashed away.

And for the first time since I had become aware in this utopia, I felt something besides content.

I felt…irritated.

With a new determination, I grasped at the little splash of color. It flitted away, but slower this time. For who-knows-how-long, I chased the little picture until, finally, I caught it and held it.

As I looked at it, I realized that it wasn't a picture, but a memory of someone. A black and white robot-looking thing with glowing blue optics.

Something clicked in my mind.

The image had a name. _Barricade._

And suddenly… I remembered.

I was Nicole Witwicky. I was 20 years old, the daughter of Sam and Mikaela Witwicky, five foot five, loved cats, and had two best friends named Taylor and Willow. I was the Host of the AllSpark. I was creator to a sparkling named Stryker. My adoptive creators were Jazz and Prowl. I was bonded to a mech that was everything I could ever want. And his name was Barricade.

And I was dead.

My eyes flew open as I sat bolt upright in the comfortable bed. I was , God. I was _dead. _

"Calm down, youngling. There is nothing to worry about."

I nearly screamed when I saw the mech sitting on a stool beside me. He was…unusual. He was human size, and clearly had some age to him. His frame was fairly simple. The colors, however, were not. There wasn't even a design to his paint job. It was a combination of swirling gold, silver, and pristine white. The three colors were mixed, constantly swirling across his frame. It was…hard, to watch. His faceplates, however, were just light gray, and his optics were a glowing white.

I searched his frame for a faction symbol, but he had none.

He smiled kindly at me. "Hello, Nicole."

I was breathing hard, but it still felt strange. Still, this mech didn't look like he was going to try and kill me anytime soon, so I went ahead and said, "Hi, whoever-you-are."

The tri-colored mech laughed, and it sounded like…something beautiful. "Humor still intact, I see. That's good to know."

I looked around the room. I was back in the place where I had first met Jazz. Only now there was a bed in it. And I was laying in that bed. Speaking of… I looked down at the dark slate gray sating sheets and bedding. This was like staying a fancy hotel.

Only…I couldn't check out. Because I was dead.

"Oh, God," I said, staring at my limp hands in my lap, "I'm _dead._"

The mystery mech hummed happily. "Primus, actually, and yes, you are dead."

My gaze shot up to meet his white optics. "Wait, what?"

"You're dead-"

"I know!" I snapped. "Before that!"

"Oh. Well, I am Primus," he said with a smile.

I stared at him for a long moment before asking, "Is this a joke?"

The smile turned a bit sad. "No, Nicole. I wish it was. I really am Primus."

The meaning of that sank in. In a whisper, I said, "And I'm really dead."

"Yes."

Acting on instinct, I put my hand to my chest, right over my heart. I couldn't feel it beating. Again, I took in a deep breath. No wonder it felt wrong. I didn't need to breathe. So I stopped pretending to breathe, something that only live people did.

And…Barricade. Oh, _Barricade. _

With a sob, I buried my face in my hands. There weren't words to describe how I felt. So, not caring that I was being watched by Primus, I cried. Big, heaving sobs that lasted for minutes. By the time it was over, I had curled up in a small ball on my bed.

It was only then did I notice what I was wearing. A strapless, pristine white dress that hurt to look at. The material was the type that made you feel like there was a breeze and it flowed with you as you moved. There was a small silver band going around the middle of my waist, giving the appearance that I was wearing a thin belt. Was this supposed to make me look like an angel? I was torn between checking to see if I had wings or snorting, because I was not an angel.

A servo rubbing my back brought my attention back to Primus. He stared down at me sadly. "I'm sorry, youngling."

I sniffed and wiped the tears off my face. "I… Barricade. I miss him. I just wish I could see him, touch him, hear him… I wish I could tell him I love him."

Primus watched me with sympathetic optics. "You really wish you could see him?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'd do anything."

"You are aware of how painful it would be to see him again, right? You will not be able to follow him back to the living, Nicole."

"You mean I could see him again?"

"Yes. But are you sure you want to? It will be painful-"

"I don't care," I said quickly. "I'll deal with it. I just want to see him."

Primus studied my face carefully before holding his servo out to me. I took it and slid off the bed. The floor was cold under my bare feet and my dress just barely touched the floor. The mech led me to a door that hadn't been there last I had looked. Primus nodded to the door, and, hesitantly, I grasped the golden knob and pulled the door open.

At first the light on the other side was bright, but it died down to a dim setting. There was music playing at top level as I walked in the other room, looking around me in awe as I recognized this place.

It was a club that Barricade and Taylor had taken me to for my nineteenth birthday. There had been a DJ playing music nonstop on the stage, and the lights had been set low, giving the room an almost blue-colored atmosphere. In the middle of the two story building, there had been a big, wide open dance floor. From the bottom level, a person could look up on the second level to see all the booths where people were eating or leaning against the rail, watching the dancers and talking to others. On the far side of the club was a bar, where a few loners sat with their drinks. On the side of the room that I was standing in, there were two-seater round tables and booths.

It was just like I had remembered it. And I always would remember this place, because it was the first time Barricade and I had said those three little words to each other.

Surprisingly, I was the first to say it. As I thought of it, the room filled with people, just the way it looked that night. On instinct, I looked to the little round table in the dark corner of the room, beside the stage. Just like nearly two years ago, Barricade and I were sitting there, his arm around my shoulders and me leaning against him as I fiddled with my birthday cupcake wrapper.

He said something with a small smile, and the younger version of me laughed. I felt my eyes start to fill with tears as I smiled sadly. Barricade's words had been lost to time, but I remembered how happy I had been. I had been convinced nothing in the world could go wrong at the time. I had been living my own little fairy tale.

Now that fairy tale was shattered.

Suddenly Younger-Me looked up at Barricade, looking thoughtful. He looked down at me, waiting for what I was going to say. Then, I had whispered, _"I love you."_

Barricade's holoform looked stunned for a moment, before saying, _"I love you, too."_

Something had changed that night. I don't know what, or how, but it did. I felt tears on each side of my face and wiped them away, not looking away from Past-Me and Barricade. The little moment was shattered as the spotlight pointed straight at us, Taylor having told the DJ it was my birthday. I smiled as Younger-Me slouched down in my seat, hands covering my face as I cursed Taylor, and Barricade laughed. It had been one of those rare, open laughs that I lived for.

Or, _used _to lived for.

Reality came crashing down in on my flashback. The Past-Me and Barricade disappeared, as did everyone in the room, only to be replaced three seconds later. I sniffed, wiping hopelessly at my face as Primus walked up next to me with an all-too-knowing look.

Neither of us said anything as he lead me to an empty booth. Once we had seated, I looked up into his white optics. "Was that my chance to see him?"

Primus shook his helm. "No, Nicole, it was not. This, though, is." Without another word, he disappeared, along with the rest of the people in the room.

* * *

Barricade POV

Primus, I was hurting.

My spark. It hurt. I don't think it had hurt this much, ever, not even when I found out that my home world was essentially dead and that we would be leaving, possibly forever. I just wanted it to stop. Suicide had crossed my mind more times than I cared to count, but every time I even considered it, I heard Ratchet's words. I saw Nicole as she lay dying in my servos. I felt her life energy in my spark.

I just couldn't do it. I couldn't take my own life.

It made me angry. It made me feel so _weak._ I felt like I had when I had watched my one true love die in my servos.

I delayed recharge as long as I could, which was until Ratchet came into the private operating room and forcefully activated my recharge routines with some damned medical code. So I welcomed the darkness, half-hoping I'd see Nicole and half-hoping that I'd get some reprieve from the pain.

I didn't expect to open my optics to see a club. The club that we had celebrated Nicole's nineteenth birthday at, no less.

There was music playing, but no one manned the station. The dance floor was empty, and the second level was devoid of any life. It seemed I was the only inhabitant of the room…until I looked over to where the booths were.

My fuel pump stopped. There, in all her beautiful glory, was my Nicole.

* * *

Nicole POV

Before I could register fully what Primus had meant, I was suddenly pulled up into an embrace and squished. I squeaked, wondering what the hell was happening, before relaxing into the arms of Barricade.

Somehow, he was human-sized, but still a mech, so he was seeing on my level without his holoform for the first time. His armor was warm to the touch. Fully relaxed, I wrapped my own arms around him and leaned my head against his chest. Since I had realized where I was, I felt truly at peace. This, I realized, was home. Home was in Barricade's arms.

I could feel the Mustang's spark pulsing warmly under his armor. He was shaking. I felt him stroke my hair gently. "Primus…Nicole…You're- You're-"

"Real." I said, leaning back a little too look up into the faceplates of the mech I had missed so much. "Real. But…not alive."

Barricade's intake hitched and his arms tightened around just a little. "How? How do I know you're really here and I'm not just dreaming it?"

I smiled ruefully. "Transformers don't dream." When he didn't say anything, I frowned. "You're just going to have to trust me when I say that this is really me, visiting from the dead."

Barricade gently trailed one servo down my face, still looking at me in awe and something like pain. "Nicole…You're here."

I put both of my hands on either side of his faceplates. "Yes, Barricade. I really am."

"Why?" He choked out. "Why did you leave me?"

I bit my lip, feeling more tears spring up. "I had no choice, 'Cade. You would've died if I hadn't-"

"You should have let me die! I hurt so much right now, Nicole! I'd rather be dead than this terrible existence without you! I don't want to live!"

I shook my head as the tears started to fall. "I know, babe. I know. But I couldn't stand knowing that I could've saved you, and not have. Trust me, I'm hurting, too." I pulled his helm down until we were touching foreheads. "But this was how it was supposed to happen. Everything happens for a reason, babe. I know it hurts now, but it'll get easier over time. It never will stop hurting, but it gets easier, I promise."

"I hope so."

I smiled briefly, before leaning up and stealing a kiss. It was strange, kissing Barricade like this, but in a way it felt right. When it was over, I wiped away my tears and looked up to him. "One last dance?"

And we did.

* * *

Barricade's servos were resting gently on my hips. My arms were around his neck. Neither of us knew how to dance, but it seemed like we had been doing it all our lives. In the background, I could hear some orchestra music playing. In my opinion, it was beautiful.

"You look beautiful." Barricade whispered, looking sadly down at me.

I smiled. "You don't look too bad yourself, stranger."

He smiled, too, but it was sad, lacking any happiness. It broke my heart.

"Will I get to see you again?" The hope in his voice only broke my heart further.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Barricade. I honestly don't know."

My beloved leaned down with a sigh, gently resting his fore helm against mine. "I don't want to wake up. I want to stay here, with you. My spark doesn't hurt here."

"You can't sleep forever." When I said this, Barricade looked thoughtful. Even without a spark bond, I could just tell what he was thinking. My gaze hardened and I leaned back to look at him more clearly. "And suicide is not an option, Barricade."

The black and white Mustang suddenly growled, anger taking over his handsome features. He pushed away from me and stalked over to the stage. "And why not, Nicole? Why can't I make the choice for myself? I'm a big mech; I can make my own decisions. I should have the liberty to take my own life or not."

I walked closer, biting my lip. I almost reached out to touch him, then thought better of it. My hands dropped back down to clasp in front of me. "But you shouldn't have to want to take your life because of me. You're life is more important than us being together in death."

"Really? Is that how you feel?"

I winced at the hurt underlying his sharp tone. "Barricade, you living life is more important to me than anything. I gave _my _life so you would live. That's how important is to me. I'd rather be dead with you living than both of us dead, or me alive and you dead."

Barricade braced his hands against the stage, helm bowed. "I do not see the point in living an existence where the other half of my spark is extinguished, Nicole. There _isn't _a point. It's a worthless, agonizing existence, one that no one should have to live." He laughed softly. "I have a newfound respect for Prowl now. How he dealt with it I will never know."

"Please, Barricade," I said as I came to stand beside him. I was begging by now. "You have to live. For me. Please. Don't make my death in vain."

I knew that was stooping low for me, but he didn't say anything for a long while. I didn't either, hoping that if he had time to think, that he might see my reasoning. So when Barricade's fisted-servo came smashing down on the stage, I jumped about three feet in the air. The Mustang snarled wordlessly, obviously still having some internal struggle with himself.

He suddenly pushed off the stage, stalking halfway across the dance floor before turning back to glare at me. "Fine!" Barricade snapped. "I'll live in the Pit you call the Living. But when I do join you here in the Matrix, I can't guarantee that my sanity will be intact."

I almost smiled, but smartly hid it, knowing it'd probably piss my Barricade off even more. Instead, I followed him to the center of the dance floor. You could practically feel the waves of anger, irritation, and unease rolling off him as he glared a hole in the floor and clenched his servos. "Barricade," I said softly," Prowl and Jazz and everyone else is going to help you get through it. And what about Taylor and Willow? Someone's gotta keep the twins in line."

He just rumbled darkly, refusing to look at me.

Sighing a little, I nudge his helm up until he was looking at me. "Just know I'll be waiting for you. Here, in the Matrix, forever."

"Forever is a long time, Nicole." He suddenly smiled wickedly. "I plan on seeing you before then."

Now I was confused. "What?"

Barricade suddenly grabbed my shoulders and kissed me senseless. Instantly, I relaxed, completely forgetting where we were, the fact that I was dead and he was not, and his strange words. I wanted this moment to last forever, and simply because I was in the Matrix, it felt like the kiss lasted forever.

And then as suddenly as it had begun, the kiss was over. Since I had no need to breathe, I wasn't breathless, but Barricade's vents were working double-time trying to cool his frame off. The black and white mech had a new glint to his optic, something besides sorrow and pain. It was determination and hope.

Barricade had not let go of me yet. "Nicole, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to bring you back. Whatever it takes, even making a deal with Unicron. _I'm going to bring you back._"

I just stared at him. And stared. Then, "Primus, babe, that's sweet, but… It's completely delusional."

He smiled, a genuinely amused smile. "If a fragging annoying minibot like Jazz can be brought back, then you sure as slag can, too."

I began to feel exasperated. Barricade was getting his hopes up, and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop the incoming sparkbreak. "Barricade-"

"Don't." He shook his helm. "Don't. I haven't given up hope. Not until I'm completely sure that there's nothing I can do."

"But how do you even plan on doing this?" I snapped, feeling anger begin to burn inside me. "There's not a shard of the AllSpark left. And my body isn't Cybertronian, 'Cade. You can't shove a shard in a spark case that doesn't exist."

For a moment, my mate's expression faltered. But then it was back again in a few seconds. He tapped the armor over his spark case. "I've got AllSpark energy in my spark. I could use that to ignite your spark. And Ratchet and Wheeljack could build a protoform."

I hissed in anger, but mostly at myself. He was getting my hopes up, and I wanted to believe it with all of my dead heart. But it simply wasn't possible. It just…wasn't. Another point popped in my mind. "And even then, you don't know if it would be me."

"What do you mean 'you'?"

"How do you know that the spark you created would be me? How do you know if it would have my memories, my personality, my appearance? Primus, it wouldn't even look like me if the protoform was Cybertronian."

"Your energy is in my spark, too," Barricade said with a harsh look in his optics, totally ignoring that last part. "If I focused on you enough, maybe I could create _your _spark."

"That's a big 'maybe'."

"Dammit, Nicole! I don't care what you say! I'm going to try, no matter how much everyone thinks I'm crazy for it!"

Just as I opened my mouth to snap something back, I suddenly found myself wrapped up in Barricade's embrace. "I'm going to wake up now," he whispered in my hair. "I swear to Primus I'm going to find a way to bring you back. I swear. This won't be our last time to see each other."

"Barricade-"

"I love you, Nicole."

And just like that, I was all alone in the club again. Three seconds later, it filled with people again.

Sighing, I made my way back to the booth in a daze as I thought over the conversation. Primus was sitting just where I had left him, smiling a little. Deity or not, I wanted to wipe that smile off his faceplates. Why the _frag_ was he smiling at a time like _this_? Instead of voicing my question, I just plopped back down and put my face in my hands. The urge to cry was overwhelming.

"Your mate is a smart mech, Nicole." The tri-colored mech said.

"I wouldn't call not-being-able-to-accept-the-truth 'smart'," I snapped back, voice muffled from behind my hands.

"Oh, Barricade's accepted the truth. He's just planning on how to change it."

Fed up with - well, pretty much everything, my head snapped up to glare at him. "Look, would you stop speaking in fragging riddles already? I'm not having such a great time right now. My mate is about to have the biggest sparkbreak of the millennia and I can't do a thing about it. Whatever was left of the AllSpark is gone, leaving my family with nothing to restart their race, and I'm pretty sure that most of them don't want to create sparklings the old fashioned way during a war without it. Oh, and I almost forgot: _I'm fragging dead._ So blunt, to-the-point answers would be appreciated." I took a deep breath, then added, "And, _damn_, I want some chocolate."

Just as I said it, a bar of Hershey's appeared on the table in front of me. I glared at the offending piece of candy with all I had.

Tearing my gaze from the chocolate, I looked at Primus. Who was _still _grinning. "Look, Barricade can't change the fact that I'm dead. He's not - well, _you._ I'm dead. The AllSpark is dead."

"Or is it?" He asked with an all-too-knowing tone. "The AllSpark is not dead yet, Nicole. It is right here."

_Funny way things have of appearing in thin air here,_ I thought as I looked to my side to (unsurprisingly) see the AllSpark orb floating in mid air beside the booth. Tilting my head to the side, I said flatly, "So, what brings you to this little corner of the Matrix? Come to tell me about another scheme to ruin someone else's life?"

The AllSpark said nothing in return, but I felt waves of guilt and exhaustion emanating from it.

Primus sighed and I turned my attention back to him. "The AllSpark is not at fault here, youngling. Do you know precisely how old it is?"

I opened my mouth, but hesitated when no answer came. Usually the AllSpark knowledge would have helped me with something like this, but I wasn't the Host anymore.

So instead I just said, "_Really_ old."

Primus nodded. "More than you can imagine. Everything that ages must die someday. And the AllSpark's time has finally came."

I felt like I should be understanding something here, but my brain felt too muddled to understand. "Okay, so the AllSpark isn't dead. _Yet. _It's not going to change anything. It's dying."

The AllSpark gave a weary sigh. _Remember what I told you, Nicole. I said that a new AllSpark had to be born. When I die, the new one will be born, and I can finally rest._

It took a few seconds for that to sink in, and even longer for me to form the words of my next sentence. "So, what's going to be the new one?"

Primus smiled. "You are, Nicole. Or, your new body will, anyways."

* * *

Me: Hello, peoplez! Look at me! I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeee! All because of the wonderful reviews!

Abusive Me: Uh, hello? Just saved your butt and that's all I get?

Me: And Abusive Me helped. She actually does have a heart in that big, black, expanse where it should be!

Random Me: And she wasn't spontaneosly formed from darkness.

Abusive Me: I don't know, it's pretty dark here in Original Me's head. And this is where I came from. Where we _all _came from.

Nice Me: Ooh, I've got candles to light the dark! Who wants jasmine and who wants sweet pea?

Abusive Me: OOH, I KNOW THIS ONE! PICK ME, TEACHER! PICK ME!

Me: And Smart Me is locked in the closet, and she'll only be coming out for when I actually need her at school. So. Here's just a little bitty update on my life...

1) School has officially started (the horror...*curls up in small ball quietly sobbing*), so that means essays, projects, and exams galore! ...And less time to write. Though I'm trying to update every two weeks, because that's when I have access to the fricken Internet.

2) Yay! I got more money put towards my laptop! Like, a LOT of it! Still a ways to go, but closer!

4) Again, yay! It looks like it's gonna rain outside! (Yes. I'm one of those poor people being affected by the damn drought. Me and sunny days do not get along well. I'm a strange girl that likes rainy, overcast, and windy days. And tornados. Ooooh, the tornados...)

5) About this chapter... Well, I'm not sure if I'm happy or not. Some things - like the Jazz and Prowl and Bumblebee parts - I have no idea where they came from. They just appeared. Literally. From the depths of my mind. So that's why they seem out of place. And you honestly didn't think I'd leave Nicki dead, did you? Primus, no. Then like would be boring.

Me: AND WE REACHED 210 REVIEWS! YES! Thanks to all my fantastic reviewers, and even the people who don't review! Thanks to pretty much just every body! My goal had been fulfilled. I am a happy Psyche.

Cheerleader Me: Go team! *jumps in air with pom-poms enthusiastically*

Me: Right... I don't know where she came from, I've never done a cheer in my life.

And I bet you're wondering where the hell #3 is. It's right here, dear readers...

3) I GOT A TF07 PLAYSTATION GAME! YES! And it's so fun... But the cops and Sector 7 keep getting in my way...


	25. Okay For Now

Look ma! I updated!

* * *

"_Sometimes, all you can do is laugh to keep yourself from crying."_

_~Unknown_

* * *

Barricade POV

_Please, Primus, let it all be a dream. A stupid, fantasy dream. Let Nicole be by my side when I wake up. Let her be living, breathing, _alive_. Let her tease me about it later, saying something that's too stupidly confident and arrogant about how she's never leaving. Please let it all be a dream and nothing more._

But as I booted up and opened my optics to see Taylor's red-rimmed, blue eyes, and not Nicole's beautiful hazel, I knew it wasn't a dream.

I had seen Nicole. I had held her, kissed her, spoke to her…

But she was still dead. She had just been part of a dream.

I shut my optics as the pain in my spark returned full force. Primus, it hurt…

"'Cade?" Taylor asked hesitantly.

Forcing my optics open, I looked up at the blonde sitting on my chestplates looking down at me. "How long was I out?"

She sniffed, wiping at her face. "About seven hours. Ratchet said to let you sleep as long as you needed."

At the mention of the medic's name, memories of just what I had been doing in recharge surfaced. And so did my plan to bring my Nicole back.

"Taylor, where is Ratchet?"

* * *

Nicole POV

Have you ever felt just…numb? No happiness, sadness, pain, feeling, _anything_. Just…numb.

That's about how I felt right now.

I stared blankly at the table, frozen. I had just been given what was possibly the best news I could get right now, and I felt nothing. My heart wasn't beating, but I should have at least felt _something_, for Primus' sake, but all I felt was the blank numbness. I guess even in the afterlife you can feel shock.

Ever since the AllSpark had showed me my death, I had prepared myself for the end. Hope was something I had given up on a long time ago. I had forgotten all about it, considering it impossible. I had been resigned to my fate. I had prepared to die, _did _actually die, and woken up in the Matrix, only to be told that there was a way I could be alive again and I had hope.

"So…I really could…live again?" I asked, my voice so small it scared me.

Primus smiled softly, nodding. "Yes, Nicole, you could."

I am many things. Impulsive, negative, a smartass at times, really fragging stupid sometimes, and a bunch of other things.

But I am not rational.

Before my brain could catch up with what I was doing, I had jumped across the table and bashed my fist against Primus' helm. "What the _hell_, mech? That- You said- I- Arghh!". Unable to put my jumbled thoughts into words, I slammed my fist on the table. "Dammit!"

The tri-colored deity just looked stunned. "You hit me."

"No slagging duh, Captain Obvious!" I snapped. "Fraggit! What's with not telling me I'd be revived?"

"I can't do everything," Primus said, sounding almost miffed.

"_You?_ Do _everything?_" I stared at him disbelievingly, "Dude, you aren't the one that _died_."

The AllSpark made a sound that sounded like a sigh. _Nicole, I couldn't tell you because if you knew, things wouldn't have gone as they did._

I squeezed my eyes shut, suddenly having a bad taste in my mouth. "Oh, sorry, I forgot. There's a _schedule_ to everything." Sighing heavily, I opened my eyes and held my hands up. "Look, I just….need a moment. Or two." Almost desperately, I pushed my way out of the booth. I just needed to be alone.

As I weaved through the crowd, I bumped into various dancing couples. One time I hit a particularly hard shoulder. And when I say hard, I mean rock hard. "Sorry-"

The apology died in my throat.

"_Sunny?_"

There, slowly dancing to the music, was the so-vain-it-was-OCD Sunstreaker with Taylor.

Taylor was smiling, with her eyes closed, and laying her head on Sunny's chestplates as they danced to the music. Even Sunny was smiling a little. And they were the same size, like Barricade had been my size when he was here.

My first reaction was panic. If they were here, didn't that mean they were dead?

I stepped up to the both of them and snapped my fingers in Taylor's face. "Uh, hello? Taylor? Sunny? Are you alright?"

I might as well not have said anything. They just kept right on dancing, not even acknowledging me.

Panic rising, I went as far as to smack Sunstreaker on the back of the helm, knowing that he'd _have _to react to that.

My hand went right through his helm.

I made a noise that was somewhere between a choke and a scream. Because that _was not _supposed to happen.

Then I felt the hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Primus smiling at me. "It's not the real thing, Nicole. Merely an illusion from your soul. This is your version of the Matrix."

I released a shaky breath. "Oh. Good."

Looking around, I realized I recognized more of the couples in the room. Sides and Willow, Jazz and Prowl, Bumblebee and Arcee, Optimus and Elita-One… I started counting off the number of bots and people I knew. Lennox, Epps, Leo, Simmons, Darla from the hospital…

As I counted, tears came to my eyes. Everyone I knew, everyone that I had given a damn about, was here. All of them. (At the back of my mind, I noted that there were a lot more bots and humans than I thought I had cared about.)

Frag. It made me want to cry.

Moving slower through the crowd now, my mind turned back to what Primus had said. I could live again…and see all of these bots and humans again. I could see my family. My Barricade. If it was possible to have headaches in the afterlife, I'd probably have the migraine of the century right now. It was just so slagging hard to wrap my mind around it all.

I should have been happy. No, scratch that. I _was _happy, I just was finding it hard to believe. _Very _hard.

I wondered if Jazz had felt this was when I was about to resurrect him.

By now I had broken free of the crowd and made my way over to the bar on the other side of the room. With a small sigh, I plopped down on a bar stool and put my head in my hands. Sometimes, my life was really messed up.

…Okay, so scratch that, too. It was messed up _all _the time.

Suddenly there was an arm around my shoulders. "Hey, babygirl." Came the soft whisper.

If I had been breathing, my breath would have caught in my throat. Startled and more than a little afraid, I looked up. "_Dad?_"

Sam Witwicky put a small kiss to my forehead. "The one and only."

I felt a hand caress my cheek. My gaze shifted to land Mikaela Witwicky, or better known to me as Mom. "How are you, sweetheart?"

I just sat there staring at them with my mouth open, at a loss for words. So I said the first thing that came to mind. "Umm… I'm dead, if that says anything."

Both of them laughed, and like a spell had just been broken, I was suddenly that little eight year old girl again, one that had a mom and dad and needed them very much. Sobbing, I latched onto both of them like my existence depended on it. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I told myself that I shouldn't be crying like a little girl, but a greater part of my mind didn't care, because that's just what I felt like right now.

A little girl that missed her parents.

Somehow, we ended up sitting in a booth in the corner that was designed for eight people, so it curved. I got sandwiched between them, but I didn't care. I finally got my emotions under control and managed to tone down the waterfall of tears to just one or two. And I just _stared _at them.

They didn't look a day older than the day they died.

Wiping away my tears, I looked into each of their eyes. "Are you….real? Or just something I'm imagining as my version of the Matrix?"

Mom smiled. "No, we're very much real."

Dad reached up and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Our babygirl," he said with a smile, "This is our babygirl, all grown up and beautiful. She looks just like you, 'Kaela."

"But she has your eyes."

I opened my mouth, then shut it, then opened it again, before shutting it. What do you say to your dead parents that you haven't seen in over a decade?

So my brain settled for something. "I'm dead," I said flatly.

Both of them frowned and glanced at each other before looking back to me. "Yeah, we know," Dad said, looking down, "we saw it happen."

"All of it," Mom added, with tears in her eyes. "We've been watching over you ever since we died, Nicole. You weren't ever alone."

I nodded slowly. "So you know about…me being the Host and-"

"Barricade?" My dad finished with a small snort. "Yeah, we know. I don't like him."

"Sam!" Mom snapped, reaching across to smack him on the side of his head. "Don't even start!"

"But, Mikaela, he _kicked _me onto a car under that overpass! And he's who-knows-how-many-years older than her!"

"That was when he was still a Decepticon, before _we _were even together! Stop holding a grudge! And in Earth years he's only a year or two older than Nicole!"

"You'd hold a grudge if he kicked you, too! It hurts like hell!"

Mom rolled her eyes before looking at me with a smile. "Your father's just mad that Barricade didn't ask before bonding to you."

"I am not!"

"Umm," I muttered, blushing, "It was sorta accidental and my fault anyways."

Mom shot a smug look at Dad.

A new question came up and I looked at Dad. "Since you had the AllSpark's memories, did you know that I was the Host?"

He looked away, shrugging a little. "I knew _something _about you was different after we put the AllSpark necklace on you, but I didn't know what. If we had known that all of this would happen because of that, we would've taken our chances with chemo."

I shook my head. "I'm glad you didn't. This was the way things were supposed to happen. If you hadn't, I never would have met Barricade." I smiled a little. "I always wondered what it would feel like to have someone love me the way you two love each other. Now I know."

Dad wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. "We're just glad you're happy, babygirl. You turned out just the way we would have wanted you to."

I pulled Mom into the hug and squeezed them both. "I did?"

"Yes," Mom said into my ear. "We're so proud of you."

"Though we could do without the cuss words." Dad muttered.

Mom's arm, the one that was around Dad, smacked him on the back of head again.

I laughed, enjoying what I had been missing ever since the day Megatron took my parents from me.

"Hey," I asked suddenly, pulling back so I could look at both of them, "If I can be brought back, can the both of you?"

Both of them glanced at each other again before looking at me sadly. Mom shook her head. "No, Nicole, we can't. This was our destiny. Yours is to become the new AllSpark."

I felt twinge of disappointment, but I had been expecting such an answer. Switching subjects, I asked, "How is that going to work anyways?"

Dad smiled. "Well, he could explain it better than we could." And then he nodded to the dance floor, where Primus was standing with a small smile on his faceplates, servos clasped behind him like he was waiting for me.

A small sliver of dread worked it's way into my heart at the thought of leaving my parents again. I looked back to the both of them. "Do you have to leave now?"

Both of them nodded. "But remember," Dad said, cupping my face in his hands and brushing his thumb over a tear that I didn't even know was there, "we'll always be there, watching over you, 'kay, Nicki?"

I smiled, sniffling. "You've been listening to Jazz too much."

Mom laughed, her own tears in her eyes. "Tell Prowl he has our thanks for watching over you."

"I will."

"Now close your eyes, sweetheart," she whispered as they both hugged me.

I did as she said, tears falling freely now. I felt two kisses pressed against my forehead.

"_Barricade's a good mech, Nicole_," Dad whispered. His voice was fainter than before. "_Hold him close._"

"_I knew you liked him._" Mom teased playfully.

"_Never said that._"

I laughed a little, eyes still closed and wrapped up in their arms still. "I love you."

"_We love you, too, babygirl,_" They said together, voices barely a whisper. _"Goodbye." _

The feeling of theirs arms around me faded, along with their presence. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip hard enough to make it bleed, but I felt no pain or blood. After a few moments of recollecting myself, I wiped my face and looked up into the faceplates of Primus. "I'm ready."

* * *

"So, are you going to tell me how this works?" I asked Primus as we sat back down in the booth.

"Yes. As Barricade said, a new body will be built for you-"

"So I'll be Cybertronian?"

Primus shrugged, the gold, silver, and white paint job shimmering in the dim light. "Not exactly. You will be made like a Cybertronian femme, but since you are not originating from Cybertron, you will not be Cybertronian. Second, your frame will be small."

I put my elbows on the table, trying to focus on what he saying and not on my encounter with my parents. "How small?"

"As small as you were when you died."

I frowned. "Why that small?"

"Because Barricade's spark doesn't contain enough AllSpark energy to make a normal-sized spark and because Ratchet will think that he is building a sparkling body."

"Sparkling-"

Primus gave me a look that pretty much said 'I know more than you, so shut up and listen'. "I am not talking to Ratchet, Nicole. I am talking to _you._"

I squirmed, mostly because the more I knew about this the more nervous I got. "Well, what about Barricade?"

"Barricade just knows that you're going to have a new body. He doesn't know that it's not going to need a second or third frame."

"This…is getting more confusing by the second."

"Personally, I think it's all really simple."

"Yeah, well, you're you. I'm me. Big difference." I sighed, knowing that if I was alive, I'd have a headache. "So how exactly _is _Barricade going to form the- I mean, _my_, new spark? Is it going to be some miracle of you and a new spark just randomly appear in his spark chamber?"

Primus leaned forward, clasping his servos on the table. "Do you remember the ring Barricade gave you?"

"Of course. Why?"

"It contains a small amount of AllSpark energy."

"_What?_ How?"

"Ever since you put it on, it has contained excess AllSpark energy. It did the same thing that your necklace did. Think of it as a reserve for emergencies. You put your necklace in Barricade's spark chamber, and it channeled the AllSpark energy into his spark. The ring with be put in your spark chamber, and when Barricade connects his spark to your spark chamber, it will form into a spark. _Your _spark, Nicole."

With a small groan, I put my face in my hands, trying to absorb it all. That wasn't really working out for me. Finally, I lifted my head up and stared at Primus. "Okay, let's see if I understand this. Ratchet will build me a new body, thinking it's going to be a sparkling. Barricade is going to put the ring in my spark chamber and connect to it. It will form a new spark, which will be me."

Primus nodded as I finished each sentence.

"Okay… So what will I transform into? An X-box? _Please_ don't say X-box."

The white-opticed mech smiled. "Nothing."

"Nothin-" I stopped short. "Wait, _what?_"

"You will not transform into anything."

"How is that even possible?"

"Alice didn't transform."

"Yeah, but she changed forms. Are you saying I'm going to be a Pretender?"

Primus hesitated, as if he was looking for a way to explain it. "Not exactly. See, your holoform, which will look like you when you were alive, will cover your frame. For other Transformers, the default setting is no holoform. For you, the default will be your holoform. So you will look like a human on the outside, but under your holoform will be your frame. If you want to turn off the holoform, you will have to forcefully keep it off, like a regular Transformer would have to keep a holoform on."

I stared at him for a moment, before saying, "So it'll be like wearing a skin?"

"Yes."

I nodded. "Good, because I don't think I'd be able to handle looking in a mirror and not seeing me."

The deity smiled. "That is all. Questions?"

"One. Will I have everything that the other bots have? Like, guns and a comm. link?"

"Yes."

This time I smiled. "Finally I can shoot someone!"

Primus chuckled a little, but got serious once again. "Now, I have one question for you, Nicole."

"What's that?"

"Do you know how long it takes to build a protoform?"

I frowned, knowing that if I had had the AllSpark knowledge, I would've been able to answer immediately. But I didn't. So I simply said, "No."

"In Earth time, three months."

A little stunned, I blinked. "That's a long time."

"It may seem long to you, but that's only because you want it to happen faster. Now, this is my question: Do you wish to stay here, or return to the living world?"

"What? I thought you said I already was-"

"I said you were going to live again. But if you want, you can return to the living world until the time for you to live again comes. No one will see you or hear you. When the protoform is finished, you will return here to be born again."

"So I'll be a ghost."

It was more of a statement than a question, but Primus nodded anyways. "Exactly."

Without even needing to think it over, I nodded. "I want to return."

Primus looked me straight in the eye, like he was searching for something. "Are you sure? It will be a lonely three months without being able to talk to any one."

I sighed a little. "Look, no offense or anything, but that's pretty much how it is here. The only beings I can talk to here is you and the AllSpark, and I just wouldn't know what to talk to you about. At least I can see how my family is. How _Barricade _is. I'm sure I want to return."

The tri-colored mech nodded, smiling a little. "Somehow I knew you would choose that." He scooted out of the booth, holding a servo out to me. I took it, feeling butterflies in my stomach as he walked me to the door that we had first came through to get to the club atmosphere. Such a simple wooden door, and yet through it I was going to be launched back in the living world.

As I stared up at the door, my hand unconsciously clenched around Primus' servo. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the deity smile. "Nervous?"

"Yes. Yes I am." I said bluntly. "Will it hurt?"

"That," he said as he leaned forward to grasp the doorknob, "depends on where you land. Goodbye for now, Nicole. This will be the last time I see you."

_Where I- Nevermind._ I smiled a little at his faceplates, feeling almost…sad. "Thank you, for- well, everything."

"I aim to please." Primus said with a wide grin. "I wish you the best in your new life, child. Goodbye."

And with a final squeeze to my hand, Primus opened the door.

* * *

Immediately, I felt a tugging sensation on my whole body. The room around me vanished, along with Primus and every other being in it. Replacing it was a bright white light. I shut my eyes, feeling light as the tugging sensation pulled me…somewhere.

Suddenly I grew heavier, and before I realized it, I was dropping.

My eyes flew open as I dropped, a scream never making it out of my throat. Things were blurring into colors, objects going by too fast to identify.

And then it stopped.

Just…stopped.

I sucked in a breath of air. _Living_ world air, I reminded myself. Sitting up, I looked around. Primus must've been yanking my chain when he said it would hurt depending on where I landed, because I had landed on one of Ratchet's medical berths, which were made of steel.

My next thought was, _Why the frag did I land Ratchet's _Med Bay_?_

Then I saw exactly who was in the Med Bay.

"…._please_, Ratchet! You have to believe me! I saw Nicole, I swear, and I know how to bring her back!"

There my beautiful Barricade was, all but on his knees and begging Ratchet. The sight did more than make me sad; it tore a hole the size of Cybertron in my heart. The other occupants of the room were Jazz and Prowl. Prowl's frame was upright, doorwings in a tight V-shape. Jazz was the exact opposite, shoulders sagging and paint dull.

All of them had the same thing in common: that hollow, grieving look on their faceplates. The very one I had seen every time I looked in a mirror after my parents' deaths.

My jaw clenched as I held back angry tears. _This _was all my fault. The sadness and grief hanging in the air was my fault, because I was dead.

That was going to change soon, a voice in my head reminded me.

Ratchet looked torn, not knowing what to say to the Mustang in front of him. "Barricade, I-"

"Ratchet," Barricade interrupted, optics bright, "you _have _to believe me. I saw Nicole in my dreams, and I know how to bring her back!"

"Barricade," Prowl said coldly, voice devoid of emotion, "Nicole is dead. You cannot bring her back, as much as we- You, want to."

My mate flinched at 'dead', but seemingly ignored the SIC. "Please, I can't just let this go! Not when there's a chance, no matter how slim it fragging is!"

I could see plain and clear that no one in the room believed him. A small seed of panic planted itself in my soul. They weren't going to believe Barricade. The protoform wouldn't be built. I would stay _dead_-

"Ratch," a scratchy voice spoke up. All optics turned to Jazz, whose visor was flaring brightly. "We gotta at least _try._"

Nearly everyone looked at him in surprise, but most of all was Prowl.

The silence seemed loud to me, but maybe that was because I was only focused on what happened next. Ratchet looked thoroughly disturbed, but said in a gruff voice, "And just how would we even _start?_ We don't have another AllSpark shard, or empty frame-"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Barricade snapped. "Ratchet, you would build a protoform. _I _have AllSpark energy in my spark from when Nicole drained the AllSpark energy to save me. And with my memories of Nicole, it should be enough to generate her own spark."

"But you are not carrying, Barricade. You cannot generate a spark out of nothing," Prowl said in voice devoid of emotion, purposely ignoring the look Jazz shot him.

"I-" For the first time since I had dropped in, the Mustang faltered. Shutting his optics off briefly, he said with a shaky voice, "I've thought about that. Nicole used her shard of the AllSpark to channel energy into my spark. At the party, I gave her a silver ring. If the ring contains even a little bit of AllSpark energy, it should be enough to light a spark. I could strengthen that with my own energy."

The only noise in the room was the whirring of systems and blow of intakes. "It… It could work," Ratchet admitted reluctantly. I heard a small whine of a new program powering up. The medic's optics turned towards where my body lay, running scans.

I didn't have the ability to transwarp here, but I could apparently will myself to be anywhere I wanted. In the blink of an eye, I was kneeling by my own corpse.

If I told you it wasn't disturbing to look at my own body, I'd be lying.

My lips were blue, my skin pale, and…well, over all, I just looked _dead._ Taylor or Willow or maybe both, had cleaned my wounds and redressed me in a white dress that looked _very _much like the one I had been wearing in the Matrix. And on my left ring finger, the little silver ring sparkled with AllSpark energy that only I could see.

Ratchet's ventilations hitched, pulling me from my own world. "Un-fragging-believable. The ring contains more than enough to make a spark." He turned to look at Barricade. "It…would be possible to revive Nicole, but the chances are nearly one in a billion."

The Mustang looked up to the ceiling, smiling. "I don't care. It's a chance, and I'll take it."

* * *

I followed Prowl and Jazz to their quarters. Neither of them said anything, but the tension was there, hanging in the air.

As soon as the doors to their quarters slid shut, they started arguing. Jazz said that they had a chance to bring me back, so they should take it. Prowl argued that it was nearly impossible, the chances were close to nil, and that it was just a waste of time and resources.

But I knew what the SIC was really thinking. He didn't want to take a chance so small, didn't want to build up his hopes, only to have them squashed at the last minute. He didn't want to feel worse than he was now. He didn't want to have to feel the disappointment and pain of just another thing that wasn't true.

Jazz knew this, but with tensions so high, he wasn't in an understanding mood and neither was Prowl. The argument ended with the saboteur storming out, leaving Prowl with his own dark thoughts and doubts and me with my head in my hands, feeling a thousand times worse.

When I returned to the Med Bay, Ratchet was gone, probably to tell Optimus and Bumblebee about the most recent development. Barricade had returned to the private operating room, no doubt trying to get away from the rest of the world. For a long time he just sat on the medical berth, optics closed and saying nothing.

Around noon, he finally moved. I followed him to the main part of the Med Bay and to the berth that my body lay. It still unnerved me to look at my body, so lifeless and pale, but I pushed that to the back of my mind.

Barricade's holoform appeared next to my dead body, kneeling. Sighing, he gently picked up my limp hand and started rubbing circles on the back of it, something he had done before I knew he was a Transformer. "Nicole…"

"Barricade," I nearly whispered, watching the face that I loved more than life.

The Mustang's holoform sighed deeper, looking depressed. "Never did I think I'd be in this situation."

"That makes two of us," I muttered.

Barricade's eyes closed, a brief flash of pain crossing his handsome features. "I never thought I'd have to see your funeral." Suddenly he laughed, making me jump. "Then again, I never thought I'd get this close to you. I never thought I'd fall in love."

I bit my lip, wishing so badly that my mate could see me. "I didn't either."

He opened his eyes, and the bright cerulean eyes were filled with tears. Wordlessly, he lifted my hand to his mouth, placing a small kiss to it. "I'm so sorry all of this happened, Nicole. But I swear, I'm going to fix it all, even if you're brought back as a sparkling. I'm going to fix this all." Barricade leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on my cold blue lips.

And for the briefest of seconds, I thought I felt it for real.

* * *

Barricade was leaving.

Plain and simple, he was leaving the base until the protoform was finished. I had been there when he told Optimus, Ratchet, and Bumblebee in the Autobot leader's office. After a brief argument with Ratchet and Bumblebee about it, Optimus officially put the Mustang on leave, therefore giving him permission to leave base.

Ratchet was still mad about it as he, Barricade, and Bumblebee walked across base to a closet full of different things, from spare blasters to small, easy-to-carry first aid kits. The medic pretty much shoved a portable Energon converter in Barricade's servos and told him to keep his aft out of trouble.

Part of me was shocked that Barricade was leaving, but another part of me had been expecting it. I know that if the positions had been switched, I would have done the same thing.

Bumblebee said nothing as he and Barricade made their way to the front of the base. The hangar door was open, and the afternoon sun stretched across the barren land surrounding the base. They stopped right in the open hangar doorway. My mate stared out at the landscape blankly, sighing a little.

Bumblebee's optics darted from the outside to Barricade's faceplates a few times before asking quietly, "Why are you leaving?"

The black and white mech looked at the yellow and black scout before looking out again. "Why did you leave after Sam and Mikaela died?"

Bumblebee openly flinched, but answered, "Because…everything here reminded me of them."

Barricade nodded. "Exactly."

"When will you come back?"

"Whenever you comm. me and tell me the protoform is finished."

"And where will you go?"

For the first time since he had announced that he was leaving, Barricade's look faltered to be replaced by uncertainty. "Honestly, I don't have a clue."

Bumblebee smiled, but it was small. "In the years that I was gone, I met a girl, and it's been a while since I talked to her…"

* * *

Later, as we drove away from the base, I materialized in Barricade's passenger seat since his holoform was in the driver's seat and turned around to watch the base grow smaller and smaller. Finally, my home, the one I had been missing all these years, disappeared from sight. I didn't realize I was crying until I turned face forward and felt the wetness on my cheeks.

I don't know if it was because I was a ghost, or just because I was so caught up in my own thoughts, but by the time I looked outside and managed to register something about the landscape, I realized that we were on an interstate and it was dark. Apparently I wasn't the only one who realized it was dark as Barricade pulled off the interstate onto a service road. After a few minutes of driving on the service road, we came to a dirt road that reminded me too much of my first date with Barricade. The Mustang turned onto the deserted dirt road.

After an all too short fifteen minutes of driving on the dusty road, it stopped at a river that had at one time been a frequented campsite. Now, weeds stretched to nearly my height and covered the once-used fire pit. Trees had moss and vines hanging from them. I was so caught up in the look of the abandoned campsite that I nearly didn't hear Barricade trigger his transformation sequence.

Acting on instinct, I literally _pushed _my way through the door. With a small grunt, I landed in the grass, but the grass went through me.

…Which was _really_ disturbing on so many levels, but I ignored that.

Instead, I was more focused on what had just happened. Which would be me going through Barricade's door. Like a ghost going through a fragging wall.

_How stereotypical_, I thought.

And there went the last bit of my sanity as I burst into laughter on the ground.

This wasn't the little quiet laugh that a normal person might use at a funny joke. This was full-blown, no-restraint, beyond-hilarious laughter. I was nearly sure that Barricade could hear me because it was so loud. Big, shrieking laughter that I hadn't had in a very long time.

I don't know why I was laughing so hard. Really, the fact that I could walk through solid objects shouldn't have been _that_ funny and not at all surprising, but for some reason I was laughing. Maybe because I just wanted something to laugh at since there was all the reason in the world to break down and start crying.

I finally calmed down and laid on the ground, staring at the pieces of grass sticking up through where my stomach would be with a slightly-insane grin on my face. That stopped when I noticed that Barricade was no where to be seen.

A small inkling of panic wormed it's way in my soul. If I didn't know where he was, I couldn't be with him. And without him, I'd be all alone. Loneliness meant further insanity and dark thoughts.

I got up and looked around for a moment before smiling in relief. Of course a giant robot would leave tracks in the grass. So just follow the path of crushed plants.

I didn't have to go far. Soon, the path came to a pebbled part of the riverbank. Barricade had already made himself a cube of Energon from the Energon converter during my laughing fit. Said cube sat untouched on the ground, the soft blue glow giving the appearance of a lantern.

And Barricade was just staring at it.

If there was ever a time to smack my bondmate on the helm, now would be it.

As if sensing my thoughts, the Mustang picked up the cube and brought it to his mouth slowly, as if he wasn't sure whether or not to drink it. Then, cautiously, he took the smallest of sips.

And as I watched Barricade finish his cube, I knew that we'd get through the next few months, no matter how hard they'd be.

* * *

The stars here were amazing.

I'd never taken the opportunity to really study them after my parents died. Dad had taught me the basic constellations. Now, as I leaned against Barricade's recharging form on the riverbank, time seemed to stop. I had the chance to sit back and just look.

The writer of the Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star song wasn't kidding when they wrote the stars twinkled. The tiny dots of light almost seemed as if they were winking at me. This would have been one of those moments that I would have remembered forever if it was under different circumstances.

Circumstances such as me not being dead. Family with me. And Barricade, happy, and us in each others arms.

But I learned a long time ago that you can't order life specifically like a slagging pizza. You get what you get and work with it.

Sitting in this little piece of limbo somewhere in Nevada with the other half of my spark recharging behind me and the stars winking at me, I came to a conclusion.

I was going to take my second chance at life and make something of it. I didn't know what, I just knew I would. There would be ups and downs – there always was – but I would have my family, friends, and Barricade.

And if I had those three things, then I'm pretty sure I could take what the universe threw at me.

* * *

That was how the next few weeks went.

Drive for who-knows-how-many hours, stop, refuel, recharge, wake up and drive for hours again. Repeat. Over and over, every day.

It was…hard.

For both me and Barricade. I had no one but the voices in my head to talk to, and I usually avoided that because the fact that I could even _hear _them while I was dead freaked me out. They had bothered me in real life, and they followed me to the grave. Pretty much the only thing I was doing was existing. I didn't eat, drink, or sleep, because I didn't _need _to, so I _couldn't_. Sometimes, though, when Barricade was recharging, I would lay on his chestplates, right above his spark, and close my eyes. A few times I actually convinced myself that I was asleep. When I couldn't trick myself into thinking it, I just sat there and listened to the beautiful music of Barricade's pulsing spark, healthy and bright.

Barricade spiraled deeper and deeper into a depression. Even though I couldn't feel his emotions through a bond or talk to him, I just knew. I had known this mech for four years, fallen in love with him, and had my fair share of ordeals with him. I could read his body language. He did the same things as a mech that he did during the time I knew him as a holoform. Subtle things clued me in on it. Subtle, but they were there. Barricade stopped refueling a few times, and those were the times that I screamed my head off at him, hoping that he might just hear how much he was scaring me and refuel. I tried throwing things at him, but that just reminded me that, 'Oh, wait, I'm dead, so I can't pick anything up'. Eventually, he would refuel again, but I was always watching and waiting for when he'd stop again.

Another thing was before he recharged. Barricade's cerulean optics would glow just a tad brighter than ever. And when he woke from recharge…he looked disappointed. It took me a few days, but I realized that he was hoping that he would see me in his recharge. I thought I had felt bad before. That hurt just as bad as when I cut the bond. The fact that I couldn't help my mate struck me hard. I couldn't give him what he wanted, what he _expected_, and it was killing me even in death.

Never in my life have I heard Barricade pray. Not until this little trip happened. He had never given any indication that he prayed, or that he even believed in Primus. The Mustang sure did now. He would pray, sometimes whispering out loud, to Primus and ask that everyone on base be safe, that the protoform would be finished without any hitches, and that my resurrection go smoothly.

And then he would pray to me.

Barricade would say anything and everything while he prayed to me. How I was, how he was, how he missed me, how he was going to bring me back, and most of all, how much he loved me.

These were the times that I heard things the clearest, clearer than I ever had. Even when he wasn't talking out loud I would hear the mech, and wish more than ever I could say something back.

Occasionally, I would check back in at base, just to make sure everyone was okay. There was a somber feel to the air. Everyone was working extra hard. Jazz and Prowl were still at odds with each other, and I doubted the two had slept in the same berth since Barricade left. The Decepticons had moved to a new base, from what I gathered. The twins weren't playing pranks. Taylor and Willow dealt with their grief through late night slumber parties and wine (well, for Taylor anyways; Willow had a strong dislike for any kind of alcohol).

They had kept the information of my resurrection between Jazz, Prowl, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet. I debated with myself whether or not this was a good idea, and eventually came to the conclusion it was for the best. No one questioned or objected to the fact that Barricade had left out of the blue with no reason. I think they were all wishing they could, too.

I watched my own funeral, too. A day and a half after Barricade had left, my body had been placed in a coffin made of oak. I looked almost exactly like I had in the Matrix, white dress and all.

Have you ever watched your own funeral? It's disturbing.

The government pulled some strings so that anyone on their way to the graveyard would be redirected before they could get there and see the few giant robots and people standing around a few tombstones. I'm guessing that Lennox and Optimus argued with the government pretty hard if they could get them to do that. Only a few select bots actually came to the graveyard. Everyone else had to stay at base and watch via live feed from a video camera.

I kept wanting to object as my coffin was lowered in the ground. I wanted to say, 'Hey! I'm here! I'm alive!'

I wanted to wake up from this nightmare and be alive.

But I wasn't.

I could hear people and bots alike crying. But I didn't look up to see who it was. I was too afraid. I didn't want to see people and bots who I had cared about so much hurting because I had died.

I didn't stay to listen to any speeches. That would have been too much. Instead, I returned to Barricade's current pit stop where he was recharging and curled up next to him, feeling cold and numb and wishing selfishly that my mate could comfort me.

During the time that Barricade had left, he had not been driving aimlessly. Bumblebee had told him about a girl, Jackie McAlister, that he had met in Colorado. He didn't say it out loud, but you could tell that the Camaro wanted the black and white mech to visit her. The Mustang got the hint and set out for a small town somewhere in Colorado.

It took us longer than it should have because Barricade wasn't in any hurry to get there, but after a month and a half, we made it. It was around 3:30 in the afternoon when we pulled up in front of a two-story house that looked like it belonged to a normal family with a normal life.

I think Barricade was debating with himself on what to do; go up to the house as his holoform, or wait for Jackie to get home from her high school.

His decision was made for him as a dark-haired girl turned the corner, head bobbing to her iPod. She looked up, saw the Mustang parked in front of her house, and stopped. By this time, Barricade had turned on his holoform and was watching her in his rear view mirror.

Jackie cautiously took a few steps forward, eyeing Barricade's alt mode suspiciously. As she got closer, I was shocked at how _familiar_ she looked.

It took me a moment, but I realized that she reminded me of, well, _me._ The younger, teenage me. The only big difference was her bright blue eyes, freckles across her pale cheeks, and slightly taller height.

Jackie stopped right beside the tinted passenger window, peering inside. She didn't see me sitting in the passenger seat, but I saw her, and it was creepy. Behind me, Barricade's holoform took a deep breath. I turned around to see his face clearly, and by the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists, apparently he noticed the similarity, too.

And not for the first time, I wondered if this was actually a good idea.

A sudden sharp knocking made me jump so bad I nearly went through the floor of 'Cade's alt mode. Jackie was still trying to see through the tinted glass, one ear bud hanging out of her ear now. "You in the car. What do you want?" she said loudly.

Barricade rolled down the window. Slowly. "Are you Jackie McAlister?"

Jackie squinted in the afternoon, suspicion barely concealed. "I don't know. Why are you asking?"

I laughed out loud at the expression on Barricade's face. "Um…"

What an intelligent and _wonderful _response there, bondmate o' mine.

"Bumblebee sent me."

Ah, there we go. Something better.

The reaction was instantaneous. Jackie visibly jerked, her eyes going wide. For a few seconds, she just stared at Barricade's holoform, opening and closing her mouth like a fish. Then, "Hold on a sec."

She took off towards her house. For a moment I thought she was going to get her parents, but after a few minutes she came running back out pulling on a jacket and nearly tripping over her own feet. I had barely scrambled into the back seat before Jackie opened the door and plopped in the passenger seat.

For a moment there was silence. Then Jackie gave Barricade an incredulous look. "Well, what are you waiting for? Drive!"

* * *

Five minutes later, we were cruising through the town that Jackie lived in. I couldn't help but feel a little ticked off that I'd been kicked out of my own seat, the one that I had sat in so much when I was alive that it should have had my name on it.

But there wasn't anything I could do about, so I stopped the feelings and listened to what was being said.

"So, you know Bumblebee?"

Barricade's holoform nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Why didn't he come instead? Oh, and do you have a name?"

My mate sighed, looking far away. "My name's Barricade. And I think I should start out at the beginning."

Jackie studied him, unconsciously picking at black-painted fingernails. "And where would that be?"

"On a different planet than this, one far away, called Cybertron…"

* * *

**READ THIS!**

Okay….So I have some explaining to do.

Let's do this in segments, because it's easier to explain that way:

1: I know it was a long update time. But school frankly hates me. A lot.

2: The computer I was using crashed literally two days after I published the last chap, so that meant NO writing, at all. But then I went to Best Buy and got a new one! So new PC, peoplz! Yay!

3: This story is not finished. There is still maybe ONE or TWO chaps left. Depends on how much I write for the next one…

4: Don't make me regret posting this chap now. I had planned on writing a little more and ending it different, but I wanted to badly post something since it's been so long, and I figured that I might as well go ahead 'cause the next chap will take me so long. So…don't make me regret it.

5: I have a new poll: How old do you think I am? I'm not going to tell you, but I'm curious about how old you think I am. (Silverfire, you do not count, seeing as I already told you. ;D)

6: I have a headache. Ow. Stupid fragging genes...

7: I now have a link to my LiveJournal journal on my profile. So if you want any updates on the Life series or just how my daily life is, just go there. There's also a link to my community, but there's nothing there yet.

There was something else to say…but I don't remember what…

REVIEW! You'd make me the happiest writer if you reviewed…


	26. Second Chances

I can't believe we're actually here. The end. Wow. You know, I think this is the only worthwhile thing I've done in my life that I'm actually proud of. ;D

Honestly, I never expected to finish. I thought I'd lose interest or just forget about it…but apparently not.

It's been a fun run, peeps.

**Be sure to read the author note at the end, just so you know where I'm going after this.**

* * *

"_The hardest part of ending is starting again."_

~ (Guess who. A band. Surely _someone_ will know…)

* * *

Chapter 26:

Nicole POV

Even though I was dead, I could feel the tension in the silence of Barricade's alt mode.

He had long since parked in an empty warehouse parking lot. Darkness had fallen, and I wondered if Jackie's parents were wondering where she was. Jackie herself didn't seem concerned at all. The dark-haired girl stared out the windshield with a blank look on her face. I guess this was all she could do, since she had chipped off the rest of her nail polish a long time ago. Barricade had explained everything, from when the war started to my death. That was difficult for him, and several times he had just stopped speaking at all. Now…he just looked tired.

Jackie suddenly sighed, eyes darting to Barricade's holoform. "You've been through some tough shit, haven't you?"

He smiled weakly, leaning heavily against the driver's door to look at her. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"And you used to be one of the bad dudes, right? A Decepticon or something?"

"Yeah, I did."

"But you defected."

"Yes."

"Because you met a human girl and fell in love with her."

"Yes."

"After you _ran __over __her_."

Barricade suddenly laughed out loud, this laugh real and happy. "Yes, I did, but it was her fault, too."

I glared at him, but he didn't see it of course.

Jackie smiled, and in that moment, I realized that she had _purposely_ made him laugh. To cheer him up. The realization stunned me. She had said that on purpose so he would laugh. She did something I couldn't do right now for Barricade. She had cheered him up. Even though it lasted for only a short time, it had at least been _there_.

And because she had made my mate laugh when everything else was dark, I owed her.

* * *

Barricade drove Jackie home. On the way back, they made an deal.

The Mustang would stay with her until my protoform was finished, just for the sake of staying in one place with someone to talk to, and he would tell her anything she wanted to know about Cybertronians. This was okay with me, surprisingly. I understood why Barricade would want to stay. He wanted to talk to someone, someone living. I understood exactly how he felt, but there wasn't any help for me.

Jackie said he could stay in an abandoned barn that she passed on her way to school. That way she could check up on him on her way to school in the mornings and stay there after school.

That night, I laid beside my mate for recharge with a lighter mood than I had had in weeks.

* * *

_I'll face myself_

_To cross out what I've become_

_Erase myself_

_And let go of_

_What I've done_

* * *

Today was the day.

Today was the day that Ratchet commed Barricade, telling him my protoform was done.

In the time that Barricade had first met Jackie, they had grown closer. It was a lot like the bond that Taylor and Barricade already shared. Brother and sister. Jackie had told Barricade a lot of the same things that she said she had already told Bumblebee: her parents were usually too busy to spend time with her, she wished her life wasn't so predictable, and that she wanted to do something with her life other than sit behind a desk like her parents so often did. (There was also a lot of things about who's cheating on who at school and what boys she thought were cute and her grades failing epicly, but I didn't think that was as important.)

So when Barricade told Jackie that he had to leave, she literally _demanded_ to be taken.

And how did 'Cade respond?

"_No_."

"What?" Jackie asked incredulously, looking shocked. "Why not?"

Barricade's blue optics looked anywhere but the human girl. His helm just barely brushed the roof of the old barn if he slouched and most of the time he sat on the ground so it was more comfortable. But now, while he was nervous and tense about telling Jackie the news, he had to get up and pace in the cramped space. It was an old habit, one I'm sure that had developed from the centuries of being a warrior, and it wasn't going to let him just sit still.

"Because."

"Because _why?_"

The Mustang suddenly growled, finally looking at Jackie with a heated glare. "Because! Do you know how many humans have been drug into our war? Do you know how many have been killed? Do you know how much of my race has died because of a stupid war that shouldn't have left the gladiator rings? More than you can imagine. Just by staying here with you I'm putting you in danger. The Decepticons wouldn't hesitate to kill you. I'm not going to take you in the middle of it all."

Jackie scowled at Barricade, fists clenched. "You took that risk when you decided to start a relationship with Nicole. What's different now?"

I had a strong urge to either laugh at her tactics or smack her for being that bold about it. It was a low blow, and she knew it, which was exactly why it was such a great tactic. Prowl would've been proud.

My mate openly flinched, looking away. "That was different. I thought I could hide it from the Decepticons and the Autobots. I wasn't planning on taking her to the Autobot base."

"You were planning on hiding for the rest of your relationship with her," Jackie said flatly.

"No, I wasn't," he snapped. "I was going to tell her soon. But then some human saw me driving without a holoform and blogged about it on the Internet. Then Soundwave _and_the Autobots saw it and…things fell apart."

Barricade suddenly sighed. "Why am I even telling you this? You don't understand the danger."

The dark-haired human girl crossed her arms. "Look. Maybe I don't know the danger of war. But I do know that there _is_danger. I know what I'll be walking into. Besides, I just want to stay there for a week. My parents will be gone on a business trip for the next two or three weeks. I'll have the house to myself. I can tell my parents I'm going camping, and they'll excuse me from school. The perfect alibi."

When the Mustang said nothing, Jackie nearly stamped her foot. "Please, Barricade! I swear I'll be good and stay away from any red buttons and not snoop where I'm not supposed to be! I swear!"

Barricade's resolve was crumbling. Still, he knelt to Jackie's level and looked her straight in the eye. "Give me one _good_ reason to take you with me."

The human girl did a wonderful impression of a fish out of water for a few seconds before grinning widely. "I've got pictures of you on my phone. In your bi-pedal mode."

It took my mate a few moments before he realized what that meant:

Blackmail. Very good blackmail that could be posted on the Internet.

And by then, Jackie had already made it out of the barn when he cursed loudly and stood up straight enough to whack his helm on the roof of the barn.

After a few minutes of cursing his stupidity, Barricade told Jackie it was safe to come inside again. I laughed openly at the smug look on the human girl's face. 'Cade saw it, too, and didn't think it was near as funny as I did. Engine growling ominously, he glared at Jackie. "Fine. You can come. But you have fifteen minutes to pack. If you're not ready by then, I'm leaving without you."

Jackie's squeal nearly drown out the sound of Barricade transforming.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting in Barricade's back seat while he had the engine going and Jackie was inside her house running around to get what she needed. I counted the minutes, and when the fifteenth minute came, the Mustang didn't leave like he said. Instead, he waited two extra minutes until Jackie came dashing out of her house.

As the human girl plopped in the passenger seat and Barricade pulled away, I smiled softly. " 'Cade, you're a big softie," I whispered to myself.

* * *

_You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars_

_Regardless of who you are_

_So do whatever it takes_

'_Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life_

_Let nothin' stand in your way_

'_Cause the hands of time are never on your side_

* * *

With every mile we got closer to the base, my nerves shot higher and higher. If I was alive, I was pretty sure I would've thrown up.

The trip that had taken Barricade nearly a month and a half earlier took him three days now. Maybe that was because he stopped only a few times for Jackie and himself. (I guess the fact that he was speeding helped, too.)

Less than a mile from the base, helicopters flew overhead, circling, before they flew back in the direction of the base to report that Barricade was finally home.

We were coming home.

The true meaning of that statement didn't strike me until I actually saw base. Homesickness that I had managed to suppress overwhelmed me. I hadn't seen anyone on base in weeks, and that was too long. Too long to be away from my family.

To say that there was a welcoming party waiting on Barricade would have been an understatement. It looked as if the whole base had gathered at the front of the main hangar, Autobots and soldiers alike. From the look on her face, Jackie couldn't believe that there were that many Transformers in one place. Barricade probably didn't believe that that many bots on base actually liked him. I couldn't believe they weren't angry over him leaving.

Whatever the reason they were there for, I'm sure none of them (besides the ones who knew about my protoform being built) expected him to come back. Even less expected was for a human teenager to get out of his alt mode before he transformed.

And when he did transform?

All that could be heard was silence. Then:

"_Fragger!"_

My mate didn't duck in time to miss the wrench that flew from the crowd. Or the second wrench. Or the metal baseball bat.

Four figures suddenly pushed their way through the dumbfounded crowd, who obviously hadn't expected there to be flying wrenches and baseball bats. Ratchet and Bumblebee were two of them, the medic looking seriously fragged off and the Camaro looked slightly shocked. The other two were Taylor and Willow, and Taylor was carrying a metal baseball bat in one hand and dragging Willow in the other.

What happened next occurred all at once, so let me give you the basics:

Ratchet started telling Barricade how much of an glitched idiot he was for bringing a human to base without clearance in Cybertronian with a lot of swear words on the side.

Bumblebee turned on his holoform and gave Jackie a hug, all while telling her that coming with Barricade was stupid.

Taylor was beating the crap out of Barricade's pede as bad as she could with the baseball bat, all while screaming obscenities at him with angry tears in her eyes.

And there poor Willow was, standing in the middle of it all with a deer-in-headlights look and dark magenta hair.

I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one laughing.

What a welcoming party it was.

* * *

_I'm seeing all the angles_

_Starts to get tangled_

_I start to compromise_

_My life and the purpose_

_Is it all worth it_

_Am I gonna turn out fine?_

* * *

While Barricade had his little welcoming party outside, I appeared in the Med Bay. As expected, my protoform wasn't in the main part of the Med Bay. In the private operating room, on a medical berth, the protoform sat cold and still. It was featureless and nearly the exact size I was when alive. From the looks of it, I'd be a few inches taller in my new life. There wasn't any armor since Ratchet thought he was building a sparkling protoform. Which also meant no weapons.

With a slightly shaking hand, I took a deep breath and brushed my fingertips against the faceplates lightly. This was _me,_ or it would _be_me.

My hands clenched suddenly and I found myself squeezing my eyes shut. Primus… I was scared. Primus himself had told me this would work, so I didn't have any doubts about that. What scared me so much was the aftermath. I had been human all my life. How different would being a machine be? As different as you can get. Going from organic to metal… How could you prepare yourself for that? I didn't know, and there wasn't anyone to tell me. This was the first time this was being done and I was all alone.

That brought up another point. What would I be? A Cybertronian? No, I'm not from Cybertron. Definitely not human, of course. So what would I be? Some freak of nature?

Something inside me cringed. In my middle school and high school years, I had always been a loner. I didn't hang out with other kids because things had been so different. I didn't care about who had a crush on who and what other people were doing on their own time. My views and the other kids' views had been so different that I had preferred to be alone by myself. I had heard the whispers, seen the looks. The fact that I had different ways to spend my pastime other than flirting with some boy or hanging out with friends had always classified me as, well, a freak. I didn't like it, but there wasn't anything I could do about it, so I went on with it.

But then Taylor had come along, and that had changed. I wasn't a loner with no friends, I was a loner with one overly happy cheerleader for a friend. I wasn't alone. And since then, I hadn't been alone for a long time.

But now…I was going to become something that had never happened. An organic turned machine. A freak of nature. There wouldn't be anyone to understand what it felt like, and that scared me. I had my family, but none of them had gone through this. None of them would understand what it would feel like.

I took a deep breath, opening my eyes. This was ridiculous. I was worrying over nothing. I was going to live again, wasn't I? I should be slagging grateful.

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the door swished open.

"-blackmailed me into it! It's not my fault!"

Ratchet snorted, rolling his optics. "Of course it isn't, Barricade."

The Mustang didn't retort anything back, and that was because he was staring at my protoform. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Is that-"

"Yes." Ratchet's voice had lost it's sharp edge. "We haven't told anyone else besides those who already know about it."

As if on cue, the others filed in the room. Optimus, Prowl, Jazz, and Bumblebee. Oh, and Jackie, who was sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder. I tilted my head curiously, wondering why she was here.

Before I could ponder more on it, I suddenly felt like I was being tugged. The sensation increased, and I panicked as the room started to fade to black. Then, in the blink of an eye, I was back in my version of the Matrix. This time the club was totally empty and there wasn't any music playing. It was so quiet I would have been able to hear myself breathe if I was breathing.

_Are you ready?_

I jumped at the quiet, tired voice of the AllSpark. Turning, I saw the white orb floating behind me. I bit my lip, but nodded. "Yes, I am."

There was something that sounded like breath of relief, almost as if the AllSpark had been holding its breath this whole time. _Good._

It floated over to the door that I had stepped through with Primus the first time I had come here, light dimming. _It __is __almost __time._

I followed it, nervousness clawing at my stomach.

* * *

Barricade POV

The time had finally come.

I was bringing Nicole home. I was going to hold her again. I was going to see her. She might come back as a sparkling, but I don't think I really cared at the moment. _She __was __coming __home._

The others stood back as Ratchet gently pried the chestplates of the protoform open. As he worked, the medic asked, "Do you have the ring?"

"Yes." My servos were shaking as I reach in my sub space and pulled out the small chain I had looped the ring through to keep track of it. The silver glinted in the light of the PO room. This was going to be Nicole's spark now, this little ring that had absorbed the spare AllSpark energy. And my spark was going to ignite it. Just thinking about it made my spark jump, obviously recognizing the familiar energy in the ring.

I set the small ring down on the berth and turned my holoform on. Even my holoform's hands were shaking as slid the ring off the chain as I knelt beside the protoform. Nicole's new frame was featureless, but all sparklings developed features and colors after receiving their spark. With a shaky sigh, I gently placed the ring in the fragile spark chamber and turned my holoform off.

Ratchet stood back from the berth, giving me space to do what had to be done next: opening my spark chamber.

This was the ultimate show of trust for every Cybertronian. The only other mechanisms a Cybertronian bared their spark to was a either a medic or to their lover or bondmate during interfacing. Baring your spark for all to see was a show of vulnerability and trust. My coding was practically screaming at me that this was stupid and crazy, but my spark beat any line of coding.

The deafening silence in the room was broken by the hiss of my chestplates unlocking and separating. My fists involuntarily clenched at the display of vulnerability, but I continued and opened my spark chamber. The blue light spilled out across the berth and the protoform.

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw a small flash of moment as Prowl and Jazz both suddenly reached for each other and grasped each others servos. If the situation were different and I wasn't about to bring back my dead mate from the Matrix, I would have smiled. But as it was, I _was_about to try and bring Nicole back, so I was more focused on the protoform.

I leaned forward and braced my servos on the berth as a tugging sensation pulled on my spark towards the protoform. My spark floated partway from my open spark chamber to hover above the protoform's spark chamber.

And then it dropped down, connecting with the ring, and my entire frame froze.

The horrible feeling of my spark energy draining away over came me, fear taking over. My vision went white and static escaped my vocalizer as I felt an unbearable amount of pain flood every one of my senses. I could literally _feel_part of my spark tearing away. Primus, it hurt worse than any other pain imaginable, enough to lose touch with reality. I was surprised I was still standing.

And then…another presence flooded my senses. One as familiar as my own spark.

Nicole.

* * *

Nicole POV

A silence settled over both me and the AllSpark. It wasn't an uncomfortable one, just…almost like it was final. And it was. After this, the AllSpark would be me, and the one floating next to me would be gone.

Suddenly I felt a tugging sensation on my chest, like a chord was attached to my shirt. Even though I wasn't breathing, it sucked the air out of me. Feeling choked, I barely managed to say, "It's starting."

A soft hum came from the AllSpark. _Good._ _Open __the __door._

I did as it said and opened the door. On the other side was a blinding whiteness that spoke of nothing. Blinking against the light, my feet took the remaining steps until I was standing on the edge of the light. Now I felt like a giant hand was around me, squeezing everything out of me.

I summoned the strength I had to stop myself from stepping forward and said in a gasping breath to the AllSpark, "Goodbye."

The AllSpark orb floated level with my face. _Goodbye, __youngling._It brushed against my skin, and I was flooded by how much it was _feeling_. It wasn't the emotionless, cold being I had thought it to be. Right now, it was feeling immense relief, joy, and love for me. It was enough to make a tear come to my eye. The AllSpark really _had _cared that it had brought so much pain to my life. It felt bad, but it was so relieved that it's end had finally come and it could rest in peace.

"Thank you," I whispered, tears in my eyes.

_I __am __the __one __who __should __be __thanking __you. __I __cannot __express __how __grateful __I __am __that __I __can __now __rest __in __peace._

The feeling of being pulled through the door increased tenfold, and I staggered forward. The Allspark brushed against me one last time, almost like it was pushing me forward.

_Thank you, Nicole Witwicky. Until all are one._

* * *

The pulling increased.

I didn't see myself being pulled, I just felt it. It was slow, almost painful. I could sense the end, and it was near.

All of a sudden, I felt another presence. _Barricade._ It was wonderful to be able to finally feel him again, feel everything that he was and ever had been. This was my mate, my wonderful, beautiful Barricade that was more important to me than anything in the world.

And suddenly, there was no Nicole Witwicky or Barricade. It was just _Us._

There weren't two different beings. We were one, merged together fully and wholly. We shared the same fears, joys, memories, dreams, and nightmares. We were each one half of a whole, finally able to merge and become one together.

It was wonderful. It was perfect. It was _right_.

And just as suddenly as it began, the merge started to separate. The loss had my new spark crying out for it's other half, Barricade. I was suddenly aware of the environment around me, able to feel again.

I was _alive._

My spark sank into my new frame, the spark chamber closing automatically and the chestplates locking. I didn't see it, just sensed it.

The feeling of being aware struck me like a ton of bricks. My systems, neural rays, and processor all booted up. My holoform automatically turned on, just like Primus said it would. Data started streaming in faster than I could sort it. Everything felt too sensitive to my poor sensors. As if I had been doing it my whole life, I tuned down my sensors until the data slowed. Wisely, I waited for everything to adjust and the lubricants and Energon in my frame to start circulating.

Almost afraid, I didn't online my optics. I didn't want to see if this was all real or not. I was scared. No, terrified. Terrified out of my mind- I mean, processor.

Something barely brushed my cheek. "Nicole?"

_Barricade_. My optics onlined abruptly. The light of the room assaulted my optics, but I didn't care. Barricade's holoform was leaning over me, bright blue eyes wide with fear and skin pale. "Nicole?" he repeated.

Tears – Energon tears – came to my optics. "Oh, Barricade…"

And without any further thought, I latched my arms around him and started kissing the living slag out of my mate, all while sobbing.

The nightmare was over. I was alive. Barricade was here. We were together again.

* * *

A good time later, the private operating room was empty besides me and Barricade. He had turned off his holoform and was gingerly holding my new body in his servos against his chest. Somehow, between all the sobbing and kissing, he had made it to floor and leaned against the wall because he was no doubt so drained that he could hardly stand.

Apparently, new strength came with this new body. I was gripping his armor hard enough to dent it, afraid that if I let go I'd wake up and find out that everything wasn't real and I was still dead.

But, as I flexed my han- servo, in front of my face, I knew that this was real.

I was amazed by how heightened my senses were now. I heard things better, saw things better, and sensed everything around me. My EM field collected data from everything around me and fed it to my processor. I could feel the Energon coursing through me, my spark pulsing, and the AllSpark powers making me feel strong. My holoform covered my frame, so I looked the same as I had when I died, only I was wearing the same white t-shirt and jeans as I had in the Matrix. This…was amazing. It felt right. Like this frame had been my real form my whole life, and I had just been born into the wrong body. I had been destined for this.

Ever since I had been brought back to life, I had felt our bond, our _new_bond. When he had ignited my spark with his own, it had restored our old bond. Now that I had it back, I felt complete. I never wanted to go back to feeling like I had after I had cut our bond.

And right now, I felt unbelievable love, joy, and happiness flowing through our bond. Barricade was watching me with tired cerulean blue optics, a small smile on his faceplates. So far, he hadn't said anything since I had been resurrected.

I took a deep breath, reveling in the ability to do so now, and looked up into his optics with a smile. "I'm alive."

Barricade's optics dimmed, his smile getting bigger. "You are." As if to confirm it, he lifted me up and gently placed a kiss on my helm. "You are."

I stood up in his servos wobbly, since my balance had been off and I had a hard time walking in this new body. Gently, I pulled his helm down to me and leaned my forehead against his, closing my eyes so I could revel in the fact that I could touch my soul mate again. "I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," he whispered back. "I missed you so much."

"Me, too." I breathed in deeply again before pulling back to gaze into his dim optics. "Are you tired?"

"No."

"Liar," I said with a smile. "You are, you just don't want to admit it."

"I am not," he said some what stubbornly.

"Are too. You should rest. Your spark is going to be weak after bringing me back. I'm surprised Ratchet didn't immediately put you in stasis."

Barricade rumbled unhappily, optics flaring weakly. "I don't need the rest. Not yet, at least."

I frowned at him. "Barricade, I didn't come back just to watch you wither away because you're too stubborn. Now, comm. Ratchet for some Energon and get some recharge."

The Mustang watched me for a few moments before sighing deeply. "Fine. Have it your way. Just…be there when I wake up?"

I smiled softly, placing my servos on his faceplates. "Of course, 'Cade. Always."

* * *

Later, after Barricade was in recharge with an Energon IV in his arm, I was suddenly pulled into a crushing hug by Ratchet's holoform.

"Stupid fragging idiot," he murmured in my hair. "Ever get yourself killed again and I'll bring you back from the Matrix myself to beat some sense in your helm."

I laughed quietly, barely managing to wiggle my arms out of his grip to hug him back. "Thanks, Hatchet."

The moment lasted for a few seconds, and then it was over, as quick as it had began. After all, he had a reputation to maintain. Ratchet turned his holoform off and glared down at me. "Well, since I figured you were going to be a sparkling – well, technically you _are_ – I didn't give your protoform any armor. And, considering how much trouble you tend to attract, you are most definitely going to need it, along with your defense systems. Which means-"

"Upgrades in the future with the Hatchet. I know," I said with a smile. "But what did you mean I technically am a sparkling?"

"Your processor may have twenty years worth of knowledge, but your frame is only a few hours old.

"Oh."

"Yes, _oh._ That means no jumping from heights, doing anything dangerous-"

"That hurts, Ratchet. Who do you take me for? A mad woman?"

Ratchet's mouth twitched like he was tempted to smile. "A mad _femme, _you mean, and yes, I do."

I stuck my glossa out at him.

He snorted, but held his open servo out to me. "Now, before I go into specifics, there are some bots that want to see you."

My spark skipped at beat at the words, and I immediately stepped on his servo with wobbly legs. He paused a moment before keying open the door and walking into the Med Bay. And standing there was Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz.

Something in me broke at the sight of my family, and paying no heed to Ratchet's earlier warning, I jumped off his servo and onto a medical berth, very nearly falling flat on my faceplates. But two different holoforms caught me in a big crushing hug, stopping me from falling.

For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the EM fields of Jazz and Prowl and my own emotions. I could hear words, but couldn't understand them. The pressure of two different hugs was nearly painful.

And then I was looking into the faces of Prowl and Jazz, the bots I considered my adopted creators. Something wet rolled down my faceplates, and the dark hand of Jazz wiped away an Energon tear that I hadn't known was there. Both were smiling and I smiled, too. "Hey, guys." My voice cracked halfway through.  
"Primus, Nicki, ya're _alive,_" Jazz said, bringing our foreheads together with his holoform's eyes shut. "Ya're alive."

I laughed a little, feeling choked up. "I am, aren't I?"

Prowl didn't say anything, but just smiled. He didn't have to. I knew exactly how he was feeling, and how he couldn't put any of it into words, just like I couldn't put this moment into words.

I blinked, trying to clear any tears from my optics, and stood back to look them both in the face. "Turn off your holoforms so I can say this to your faceplates."

I got two confused looks, but they did as I said, their holoforms disappearing and their optics lighting up.

Once I was certain I had every ounce of their attention, I glared at them and said, "You're both _idiots._"

Both Jazz and Prowl's jaws dropped, Optimus smiled, and Ratchet burst into laughter behind me.

Prowl was the first to recover, doorwings flaring back behind him. "Excuse me?"

I put my hands on my hips. "You know what I mean. Next time you have a fight for _three__months,_ I swear to Primus I'll lock you in a closet until you make up."

"Ya knew 'bout that?" Jazz asked, smiling a bit.

I cracked a half-grin, tilting my helm. "Of course. You honestly didn't expect me to sit around doing nothing for three months in the Matrix, did you?"

Prowl smiled, and Jazz openly laughed. " 'Course not, Nicki. Wouldn't expect any less of ya."

I laughed a little, savoring the feeling of normality that hadn't been there for a very long time. Then it passed, and the pulsing of AllSpark power in my new body reminded me of something important that needed to be said. Clenching my fists tightly, I turned to Optimus. "Um… I'm not sure if you worked it out yet, or the Matrix told you, but I am the new AllSpark."

The Prime nodded, stepping closer to the med berth I was standing on. "Yes, the Matrix sent the feeling of a new beginning. Until I saw your resurrection taking place I wasn't sure what it meant." He smiled warmly, breaking the serious mood. "Welcome back, Nicole."

I smiled back. "It's good to be back. _Really_ good."

* * *

Humming a nameless song to myself softly, I stroked Barricade's faceplates as he recharged in the private operating room. Ratchet said he'd be sleeping for awhile, but I fully intended to be there when he woke. I swore to myself that from now on, I'd do anything I could for Barricade, because the road ahead was going to be hard on both of us.

Ratchet, Optimus, Jazz, Prowl, and Bumblebee were supposedly getting ready to break the news of my resurrection to everyone. After they explained things, I'd come out of the Med Bay and show them it really was me. More than once I had to squash the feelings of nervousness in me. Would they accept me? I always came up with the same answer. Of course. They were my family, and they'd accept me however I was.

I sighed and closed my optics. The bond between Barricade and I was flaring strong, wide open. Since it had been restored, I realized just what I had been missing after I cut it. Never again would I do that, not unless- …Unless it came to a choice between my duty and both of us dying. Being the AllSpark had certain responsibilities. Responsibilities such as having to cut the bond if Barricade was dying. Until this war was over, I couldn't die. The Autobots needed the AllSpark, and if I let myself die with Barricade, it'd just be a selfish act that condemned everyone in the war. And if I was dying, I wouldn't cut the bond. I'd rather die with Barricade than both of us suffer without each other.

And I knew Barricade would agree with me on each of these situations, simply because I knew the mech inside and out.

I was still reveling in the warmth of our bond when I heard the human door to the operating room open. (How cool was that? I could tell what door had opened just by hearing and my EM field!)

I opened my optics, expecting to see Taylor or Willow-

But instead I saw Jackie.

I blinked, staring at the teenager as she fidgeted on the ground where she stood. She stared back, obviously wanting to say something, but always closed her mouth before she could say it.

I took mercy on her. "Hi. Are you lost or something?"

She laughed nervously, her laugh just a little too high-pitched. "Um, no, actually. I…I just wanted to talk to you for a few moments before they tell everyone about you being alive."

I smiled, but transwarped down to the floor. I stumbled a bit a first, but stood up again quickly. Still smiling, I held my servo out to her. "Hello. My name is Nicole Witwicky."

Jackie stared at my servo blankly. Then, slowly, she gave me her own hand and shook it. "Um…I'm Jackie." She paused, then said louder, "Oh my _God_. I just shook a dead person's hand."

The moment was so weird and bizarre, I laughed out loud, relishing my first laugh in this new body. If felt good. Really good.

My laughing seemed to calm her down a little bit and she smiled. "So that didn't offend you?"

I shook my helm, still smiling. "No, not at all. I would've said the same thing."

There was a pause between us as she looked me up and down. "So, you're the infamous Nicole that Barricade's been telling me about?"

"The very one."

She nodded. "When Barricade was telling me about you, I had a hard time imagining what you would be like. But now that I can see you… I can tell why you're perfect for each other."

The words touched my spark because I'd never heard anything so nice from a stranger. "Thank you, Jackie."

The teenager shrugged, blushing.

I watched her for a moment as she shifted from foot to foot, twisting her iPod ear plugs in her hands. "That wasn't all you wanted to say, was it?"

She stared at the floor, shaking her head. "No, it wasn't, actually." Jackie looked up into my optics. "I…I just wanted to say I'm glad I got to see you be reborn or resurrected or whatever the hell that was earlier."

I blinked, confused. "Why?"

"Are you kidding? You did all these brave things that I could never have done. You went through some pretty tough crap, and you're not even bitter about it."

I laughed softly, smiling sadly. "That's…very nice of you to say. But I'm sure anyone could have done it."

Jackie frowned at me. "What you did takes strength. Not everyone has that strength."

I was at a loss for any words, so I said the one thing that I had learned through the whole ordeal. "Strength is only how well you hide pain."

She shrugged. "Maybe. But… Still. I respect you for what you did."

I finally managed to get control over my emotions and smiled at her. "Thank you, Jackie. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

The teenager smiled back, looking slightly sheepish. "Don't thank me. Really. Don't. Getting to see you be brought back to life was enough. It was…incredible."

I looked down at my servos, flexing them. "You don't know the half of it."

There was silence between us, but it was comfortable unlike the silence from a few minutes before. I held a new respect for Jackie now, and she held new respect for me. Yes, Jackie was an odd teenager. A very odd teenager.

But a good one.

"Are you going to visit your own grave?"

I jumped, startled out of the silence. "What?"

Jackie bit her lip as if she had said the wrong thing. "Are you going to visit your own grave?"  
I blinked stupidly. "You know, I hadn't thought of that yet. But… Yeah, I guess I will."

Jackie nodded. "…Right. That will be weird." She glanced up at Barricade, then back to me. "Um… I have to go before they find me in here. Bumblebee told me to stay away from the Hatchet's territory, and the Hatchet is the neon yellow Autobot, right?"

"Yeah, that's him," I said with a grin.

She took a deep breath. "Okay, then. I better get going. And… Could you take care of Barricade for me? He may have done some bad things in his past, but he's a good mech. He deserves this second chance."

I nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah, I guess we're both using our second chance right now. Mine being a second chance at life and his…" I looked up to my recharging bondmate, love from our bond making my whole frame go warm. "His is a second chance to correct his past mistakes."

I looked back to Jackie. "Thank you for taking care of him. You don't know how much that makes me happy. Not everyone would have done the same. If you every need a favor, I'd be glad to help."

"You don't need to do anything for me-"

"Yes, I do. Really, anything."

Jackie opened and closed her mouth a few times, arguing with herself, before she finally smiled. "Thank you." Then she realized something. "Wait. Were you there the whole time when Barricade was in Colorado with me?"

I laughed. "Yes, the whole time."

Jackie just stared at me for a few moments before cursing and running a hand through her hair. "Well, this is awkward."

"Only for you."

"I'm going to ignore that smug tone you're using and make my exit," she said with a wave to me. "Bye, Nicole. Guess I'll be seeing you around the next few days, huh?"

"Yeah, probably. Bye, Jackie."

I watched her leave, and for a few moments, I just stared at the door even though it had closed already. The only sound was my own breathing and Barricade's tired systems cycling. I had an internal argument with myself before I finally made a decision and transwarped.

I reappeared in the graveyard where my parents were buried and where I was buried. It was late afternoon and the sun cast light across me. I took a deep breath, soaking up the warmth that I hadn't felt in so long.

After a few moments of enjoying the sunlight, I reminded myself of my mission and took off walking through the rows of graves. It only took me a moment to find my parents grave. To the left of my mother's grave was my own, where grass had already started to cover the dirt. There sat my own tombstone, with my name, birth, and death date engraved into the white marble. Under the dates and my name, it said, _"__You __died __a __true __warrior__'__s __death, __fighting __for __what __you __believed __in __and __loved. Until all are one.__"_

I stood before my grave and stared at it. Six feet under my pedes, my old human body rested in a coffin, decaying.

There's something strange about seeing your own grave. I thought I would've been disturbed, or had a sense of déjà vu, or something, but all I felt was…peace. Something inside me had been put to rest by seeing my own grave. I felt at peace.

The old Nicole Witwicky was dead. The new one was going to make something of this new life I'd been given. I was going to take my second chance and make something of it, something good.

Suddenly I felt a cold, biting feeling fall over me, wrapping me in an ice cold grip. I felt a presence beside me, but there was nothing there. Then the voice.

_Even good can be corrupted, femme._

Then as suddenly as it came, it was gone. I gasped, feeling all the air sucked out of me. I blinked, looking around, but whatever it was had already gone. Yet I still had the feeling of being watched.

My servos tightened into fists as I replayed the voice in my processor. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. And I really didn't like the message it had delivered. The AllSpark pulsed through me like a heartbeat, reminding me of the power I had now.

Feeling a new strength set in, I looked back to my grave. Whatever it was…I would be ready to face it. I'd face it with everything I had, because I wasn't going to let anything ruin this second chance. I'd come this far. I could go farther. I knew I could.

Because I had my friends, my family, my Barricade. As long as I had them, I could face what lay ahead, even if it included creepy voices and Decepticons shooting at me.

Feeling more confident than I had in a long time, I turned my back to my grave, my past, and started walking back towards the cemetery entrance.

Towards Barricade.

Towards the future.

* * *

...O.O Wow. I'm finished. I actually did it. Amazing, considering that I did this.

*throws party in my head* YESSSSSS!

1) I could never have done this without all you readers. Really. Reviews are what keeps me going. I LOVE feedback. Thank you to all those kind people who reviewed, faved, and alerted! Thanks so much! Never in my dreams did I expect to get to 240 reviews...

2) There WILL be a sequel. It will go up right after this, so be looking for it. And the summary will suck at first, trust me. I'm trying to come up with one right now.

3) I will be posting a little haven for any bunnies that have bit me and I didn't fit into the main story line, or bonus scenes. The damn bunnies have been biting me left and right throughout the whole story, and I really need to get rid of them.

4) The song verses I used in this order: _What I've Done _- Linkin Park; _If Today Was Your Last Day _- Nickelback; _Keep Your Head Up _- Andy Grammer. Really, these are awesome songs. Check them out. I'll reveal who plays that quote I used at the beginning.

5) Mucho gracias to my dear friend, Silverfire's Shadow! Without you, I would probably very depressed. I know I may not seem all that depressed to you all, but I actually have a real life going in between chapter updates. *le gasp!* But thank you, Silverfire, for being there to listen to my rants and for me to bounce ideas off of. :) Thank you. It's incredibly hard to find a true friend in this world of ours.

6) Again, thank you to all my readers! Ya'll's feedback is really sweet. Remember to review on your way out to give me an idea of how you thought of my whole story.

It's been fun, people. It really has.


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